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Chilean teen arrested for selling baby on Facebook

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Press Trust of India New York
An 18-year-old Chilean girl has been arrested for selling her baby on Facebook for USD 113.

The teen, Veronica Carrera Chaparro, from Maipu, Chile, was arrested alongside her mother and sister who are accused of helping her with the sale.

Chaparro found out she was two months pregnant in February 2013.

Chaparro's mother and sister asked her to sell the baby, abort it or give it up for adoption, according to police chief Miguel Ampuero.

The unborn baby was put up for sale on social networking site Facebook, 'New York Daily News' reported.

A couple from Santiago got in touch and offered to pay the child's USD 1,870 formal registration fees.
 

According to Chilean newspaper 'Cooperativa', the baby was eventually born on November 4 and, the following day, the couple paid the sum to authorities.

The birth mother was also handed over USD 113.

Chaparro, her mother and sister appeared before a court in Santiago on Sunday.

The judge overseeing the case said it could prove complex, as under Chilean law it is not a crime to offer the delivery of a newborn over the Internet, even if financial compensation is offered.

The unidentified buyers were detained and will also appear in court.

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First Published: Jan 21 2014 | 3:26 PM IST

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