Russian Women Arrested Over Child Trafficking

Authorities in Russia say they have arrested two women on suspicion of selling young children.

The Interior Ministry said one of the women, whose age was given as 60, worked at a hospital in the Daghestan town of Khasavyurt.

The other woman, whose age was given as 61, was reportedly arrested in Grozny in Daghestan’s neighboring region of Chechnya.

Investigators cited two recent cases in which a 20-month-old girl was allegedly sold for 400,000 rubles (around $12,800), and a 5-day-old boy was allegedly sold for 550,000 rubles ($17,500).

A statement posted on November 1 on the website of Russia's children's rights ombudsman, Pavel Astakhov, said the suspects made parents believe their children suffered from serious diseases to encourage them to abandon their offspring.