An ad posted on eBay purporting to be selling a month-old baby for €5,000 has sparked outcry and an official investigation.
The ad was posted on eBay under the market for the Duisburg-Rheinhausen area of North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday within the classifieds section.
“Child, 40 days old, named Maria for sale,” stated the ad, seen by the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ), with photos of an infant with dark hair.
After numerous complaints were sent to eBay about the advert, the website took it down, meaning it was only posted for 30 minutes.
Duisburg police reported on Thursday that they had found the parents with the baby, and searched the family’s home. Police identified the family as refugees living in Duisburg
The baby was taken into child protective services and the parents were being questioned by police. The advert was posted using the Internet of the couple, but police noted that other family members had also used the Internet there, and officers are continuing to investigate.
“We responded promptly, blocked the user and reported criminal charges,” eBay spokesman Pierre Du Bois told WAZ.
“Whether or not it was a joke, we want the creator of this tasteless ad to face the consequences of their actions,” Du Bois said, adding that in the past the site has had similar cases that turned out to be pranks.
“We hope that this is the case here. At the same time we hope that the child in the picture is well.”
