Moscow, Apr 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti): A woman doctor at a maternity clinic in Russia was detained by police when he tried to sell a newborn baby for one million rubles (around $32,000), police said.

The incident took place in the southern city of Vladikavkaz.

The woman was caught red-handed as she accepted the first half of the sum, 500,000 rubles from police who posed as buyers. The deal came a few days after the baby was born.

"When we received a report that a doctor is involved in selling babies, police officers came to her posing as buyers. The doctor's answer was: Wait," a police spokesman said, adding that three days later the deal was done.

Police suspect that the doctor could have forced the baby's young mother to sell her child.

This is not the first case, when the chief doctor of the clinic in the capital of Russia's republic of North Ossetia is involved in a child-selling deal, police said.

A spokesman for the Federal Security Service said the suspect is a member of a child trafficking racket, which also involves other senior officials at clinics in North Ossetia.