Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency:  Newsflash

An evil couple that preyed on impoverished families by offering to buy their babies and setting up a maternity ward in their flat where clients could give birth have been arrested.

The property where the couple were practising their sick trade was located in the Esenyurt district of the northwestern Turkish city of Istanbul when it was raided by police this week.

Police said that they had started monitoring the property where the couple, described as foreign nationals, had been running an illegal maternity clinic a month ago with the man acting as the “doctor” to help the women give birth.

The women who took advantage of the offer were also reportedly foreign making it easier for them to slip under the radar by having children that authorities were not aware of.

The nationalities were not given, however, Turkey currently has almost 4 million refugees many living in impoverished conditions.

According to the report of the Esenyurt Public Security Bureau which carried out the raid, the doctor was identified by the initials of his name O.K. and his so-called assistant who acted as the midwife was identified by her initials as A.O.

Also seized during the arrest of the pair was medical equipment including an ultrasound device used to check on the health and sex of the baby, drugs used in childbirth, medical supplies and a birth stretcher.

The pair have appeared before court and remanded in custody after prosecutors revealed that their offer to disadvantaged women who are pregnant was basically to buy their babies in order to sell them to others.

The ‘doctor’ had apparently told expectant mums with limited financial means “if you can’t take care of the baby, you could sell the baby to us”.

The investigation continues.

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