A Dagestani woman was convicted of buying a baby

The Sovietsky District Court of Makhachkala sentenced a local woman to three years in prison for purchasing a newborn baby. The sentence was suspended until the convicted woman's child turns 14. 

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," in April 2025, a criminal case was opened against two Dagestani women. According to investigators, one of them  sold her newborn child to the other for 300,000 rubles  . In mid-May, the criminal case was transferred to the Sovietsky District Court of Makhachkala for trial .

According to investigators, the buyer entered into an agreement with the baby's mother in late 2024. She transferred 300,000 rubles as a down payment for the newborn. The child was transferred to her on January 1, 2025, immediately upon discharge from the maternity hospital.

The Investigative Committee of Dagestan has opened a case on the grounds of trafficking in a helpless minor.1. The evidence gathered convinced the court of the guilt of both women—the saleswoman and the customer, the Dagestan Prosecutor's Office reported today on its website. The court took into account the presence of children among the convicted women, and the child from the transaction was returned to his biological mother. 

Such cases are not isolated in Dagestan: in 2023, five people were convicted of human trafficking in the republic. The region is a leader in forced labor, but transactions involving children are now also being recorded. Experts link the crimes to poverty and impunity: the child's mother likely sold the baby out of poverty, notes Kommersant.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that in May 2024, a court sentenced a 58-year-old resident of Kabardino-Balkaria to two years in a general regime penal colony, finding her an accomplice to human trafficking and the organization of prostitution of minors.