Greek Police Arrest 5 Bulgarians for Attempting to Sell Baby

Police in Thessaloniki have arrested two men and three women, all Bulgarian nationals, after an operation in which the suspects, posing as a married couple, tried to sell a baby boy for EUR 15 000 to two undercover police officers.

The case was reported by Greek daily "Kathimerini."

The 13-day-old infant was born at the ''Tzaneio'' General Hospital of Piraeus.

The gang took the baby and his 27-year-old mother to Thessaloniki to finalize the sale from an apartment in the suburb in Ambelokipous, where the baby and mother were staying.

Two other women in an advanced state of pregnancy from Bulgaria were found staying in the same apartment and are believed to have been planning to sell their babies after giving birth.

The suspected leaders of the crime group are a man aged 52 and a woman aged 51. Police believe they recruited the pregnant women in Bulgaria and took them to Greece illegally to give birth to their babies and sell them to local couples.

According to Greek investigating authorities, the mothers received EUR 3000 from the total of EUR 15000 which the crime ring requested for each sale.

The other three Bulgarians arrested are believed to have abetted the two leaders of the crime group.

Police are also investigating the potential involvement of doctors, nursing staff and lawyers in the scheme.

A search of the apartment revealed a pile of documents and medical tests of the baby boy.

The 13-day-old infant has been placed under the protection of the prosecutor's office and is currently being monitored at a Thessaloniki-based hospital.

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