Chinese police rescue baby allegedly sold by doctor

XI'AN - Police on Sunday rescued a newborn who was allegedly sold to human traffickers by an obstetrician in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The baby was recovered in neighboring Henan Province, but DNA tests must be conducted to confirm its identity, said a statement by the government of Fuping County in Shaanxi.

The baby boy was allegedly sold for 21,600 yuan (3,494 U.S. dollars) by an obstetrician from Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital one day after he was born on July 16, according to the government.

The doctor, surnamed Zhang, has been detained on suspicions of human trafficking, local police said Friday.

Police said Zhang allegedly obtained the baby by falsely claiming that the child had congenital diseases, convincing the mother to abandon treatment and allow the doctor to handle the baby.

The mother, a woman surnamed Dong, later realized that her baby might have been abducted and reported the incident to police on July 20.

Two people from Shanxi Province surnamed Pan and Cui, who purchased the baby from Zhang, have also been detained. They sold the baby for 30,000 yuan.

By Friday afternoon, another four families in Fuping had reported experiences similar to Dong's to local police, the local government said.

A further investigation should be launched to determine whether the other families' newborn babies were trafficked and if their cases are related to Dong's case, the local government said.