Mendoza: Grandmother detained after attempting to sell her 3-year-old grandson for 14 million

The province of Mendoza has been shaken by an episode as abhorrent as it is revealing: a 36-year-old woman, in collusion with her 27-year-old partner and a 21-year-old man, attempted to sell her own grandson for the sum of 14 million pesos (30,865 pounds). The child, just three years old, was going to be handed over in the province of Salta to alleged buyers who had already been contacted. The operation was thwarted in time thanks to the desperate actions of the child's mother, who discovered everything while checking her mother's cell phone.

The events unfolded inside the settlement known as "La Tablada", located in the Tunuyán department, 83 kilometers (51.6 miles) south of Mendoza's capital. The young mother, upon accidentally reading WhatsApp messages on her mother's cell phone, discovered the sinister plan and immediately alerted her neighbors, who quickly contacted 911. Thanks to the speed of the police operation, patrols intercepted those involved on Belgrano alley before they could escape with the child.

If action had not been taken quickly, the three adults would have fled along National Route 40 toward Salta, making their location more difficult. However, they were caught in the act and taken to Police Station 15 by order of the prosecutor's office.

"The child is safe, protected, he is 3 years old", confirmed Jessica Benítez, director of Protection and Restoration of Rights, confirming that the little one was placed under state custody and received care from the Interdisciplinary Technical Teams (ETI).

The case, which is already in the hands of the criminal justice system, reveals not only the criminal intent of those involved but also a deep cultural and moral crisis affecting certain social sectors. The lack of boundaries, disregard for life, and exploitation of family ties for economic purposes reveal yet another face of social deterioration. The situation also challenges the social assistance systems, which today are more focused on resource management than on the rescue of values.

The image of a "grandmother" just 36 years old, acting as the head of a family criminal organization, exposes a painful reality: there are communities where complicity and moral decay combine with devastating consequences.