Case of Illegal Sale of One-Year-Old Child Discovered in Ararat Province; Criminal Case Launched

The Masis division of the police received operational information regarding a case in May 2020, where a resident of Masis sold her one-year-old child. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia.

Under the procedural guidance of the Deputy Prosecutor of Ararat Province, effective work by the employees of the Masis police department and the main department of the police led to a woman from the city of Masis filing a report with the police. She stated that she sold her son for 500,000 AMD to a couple living in Yerevan, but they had only paid 300,000 AMD in installments.

During the preparation of materials, factual data emerged shortly after operational measures were undertaken. It was established that the woman had given birth to a baby boy in April 2019. Having previously agreed with the couple from Yerevan to sell her one-year-old son for 500,000 AMD, they went to the Masis Territorial Division on May 5, 2020, where the buyer recognized the fatherhood of the child and received the newborn's state birth certificate under his surname.

Days later, the buying couple, along with relatives, visited the biological mother's house, where they paid 200,000 AMD out of the agreed 500,000 AMD and asked for the remaining 300,000 AMD to be paid later. They took the child with them. Subsequently, on June 11, 2020, and July 31, 2020, they paid 50,000 AMD more of the remaining amount.

Considering that the prepared materials contained elements of a criminal act related to the sale of a child for the purpose of assuming responsibility for the child's care, a criminal case was initiated in the Masis police department under Part 1 of Article 168 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. The criminal case has been referred to the Masis investigative division of the Investigative Committee of Armenia for further investigation. Measures are being taken to clarify the full circumstances of the case.

Notice: A person suspected of or charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the manner prescribed by the law of the Republic of Armenia, by a legally binding court decision.