A 30-year-old man was detained after he allegedly tried to sell the unborn baby of his sister-in-law, police said on Monday.

The woman, who is seven months pregnant, separated from her husband sometime back.

Following her separation, the accused, Shivshankar Tagade, a resident of Ranjangaon Shenpunji area here, wanted that his sister-in-law should remarry someone.

But as her unborn child from her earlier marriage posed a hindrance, Tagade and the woman decided to sell the baby after birth, a police spokesperson said.

They allegedly tried to fix a deal through Facebook by contacting those who wanted a child, the official said.

The women and child welfare department got information about this and alerted the police.

On Sunday, the cyber unit of police foiled their attempt to sell the unborn baby and detained Tagade, he said.

A case was registered against the accused under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and further probe in the matter was underway, he added.