A young couple from Moscow who were hoping to buy a new home received a shock after they found a young Russian boy for sale in an online advert.
The house-hunting pair were searching for a 'small home' online when they stumbled across an animals for sale section, only to find a five-year-old boy listed in a sick advert.
According to Russia's Moskovskij Komsomolets (MK) news outlet, Matvey, 33, claimed that the ad showed a photo of a young boy smiling along with the words “Seryozha – buy in Moscow”.
The listing also said that the price for the youngster was available on request, alongside a phone number and the female seller's name.
The Daily Star reports that as soon as the couple saw the bizarre advert, they called the police and handed in a written statement.
An investigation has now begun, with MK hinting that it could be an “evil joke” or “something more serious”.
However, this is not the first time an advert for a child has been spotted in Russia.
In July, 2022, a Russian mother sold her newborn baby to pay for a £3,000 nose job.
According to police reports, the mum took a small deposit of £274 from a couple who agreed just five days after his birth on April 25, to take the infant off her hands.
Soon after the couple purchased the young boy, he fell ill and the new parents were asked for his birth certificate by medics when they took him to hospital.
The infant's birth mother then decided to negotiate a price with the couple for the birth certificate in order to make some more cash for her nose job.
The birth certificate ended up costing them another £1,370.
But before they could part with the money, the police arrested the group for human trafficking.
In a statement, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Dagestan said: “The investigating authorities of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Dagestan have initiated a criminal case against a 33-year-old resident of the city of Kaspiysk.
“On May 26, 2022, she received the rest of the money amounting to 100,000 rubles.
“Subsequently, information about the crime committed became known to law enforcement officers.
"The suspect was detained in accordance with Art. 91 and 92 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation.”
