Three men have been arrested in Iran on suspicion of trying to sell two babies on Instagram.
Tehran's police chief, Brig-Gen Hossein Rahimi, said one of the children was 20 days old. The other was two months old.
The babies had already been bought for up to $500 (£400), and were being resold for between $2,000 and $2,500.
One of those arrested allegedly said he was "getting babies from poor families" and "handing them over to families who could provide a better future".
Brig-Gen Rahimi told local media that police officers had been alerted to "ads on Instagram for selling babies".
The officers uncovered "10 to 15 such pages" on the photo-sharing service and found the two babies with the three men who were arrested, he said. The babies were handed over to social services.
The suspects claimed that they had bought the babies from poor families for a "small fee", according to the general.
In a video published by the Young Journalists' Club news agency, one of the men said: "This would have helped these babies have a better future."
This is not the first such case uncovered by the authorities in Iran.
Earlier this year, police in the province of Gorgan said they had arrested four women and a man who had allegedly been finding poor pregnant women and paying their hospital expenses, then taking away their babies after they gave birth.
In 2016, then Vice-President for Family and Women's Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi expressed concern over what she said was the "high number" of expectant mothers selling their babies.
She said women were being forced to do so by "a variety of factors", including poverty, drug addiction, child marriage and homelessness.
Latest Stories
-
Full text: Akufo-Addo delivers final State of the Nation Address
18 minutes -
Welding in a 24-hour economy: Part 1
20 minutes -
Second edition of BAL Exhibition thrills fans in Accra, setting the stage for 2025 season
24 minutes -
I leave behind a Ghana that is working – Akufo-Addo
24 minutes -
Thousands attend second edition of Amerado’s ‘My Motherland’ concert at Ejisu
29 minutes -
Amaju Pinnick stopped me from filing injunction against GFA elections – George Afriyie
30 minutes -
Akufo-Addo’s tenure will be a timely reminder of how not to govern a country – Armah-Kofi Buah
32 minutes -
History will be kind to Akufo-Addo’s unmatched record in education – Afenyo-Markin
39 minutes -
Blakk Cedi discloses his role in Shatta Wale’s Vybz Kartel performance
46 minutes -
Ghana isn’t broke as some propagandists want us to believe – Akufo-Addo
58 minutes -
Ghanaians have already given a verdict on the true state of the nation – Armah Kofi-Buah
1 hour -
I knew fighting galamsey wasn’t a universally popular position for a president to take – Akufo-Addo
2 hours -
The insurance price war in Ghana: an overview and proposed solutions
2 hours -
2023 WASSCE results stand out as best in history – President Akufo-Addo
2 hours -
I hope Mahama will complete Agenda 111 initiative – Akufo-Addo
2 hours