RUSSIA: A young couple have stunned Russia by trying to sell their daughter for $1,000 so they could buy a new house.
In an incident betraying the poverty and desperation in which many Russians live in the regions outside of Moscow, Sergei Pivovarov (29) and Olga Kemerova (30) were arrested by police on Wednesday night.
They had been walking the streets of Moscow, reportedly asking passers-by if they were interested in buying their 18- month-old daughter, Margarita.
The couple originally sought $10,000 for the girl, but they became increasingly desperate and eventually agreed to $1,000 offered by an undercover policewoman who approached them.
Like thousands of Russians from across the impoverished regions, the couple, poor farm workers from the Voronezh region 300 miles south of Moscow, arrived in the capital in August last year in an effort to "improve their financial situation". Initially they lived with friends and then with Olga's brother in the town of Taldom, near Moscow.
Moscow police said the couple, who had no previous criminal records, wanted to buy a new house with the cash. Mr Pivovarov told police Ms Kemerova's brother had heavy debts, and was going to lose his home as a result.
They were hoping to move back to Voronezh where they would use the $1,000 to buy a new home and start a business.
The arresting officers reportedly told the couple they should have tried to sell themselves first. Mr Pivovarov replied his girlfriend was a woman of high moral standing who would not stoop to that. The couple may get up to 10 years for the crime.
Margarita, born in February 2002, has been taken to hospital for a check up. She is described as looking malnourished and will live in an orphanage until authorities can determine her fate.