A man who attempted to sell his infant son on the social media application Facebook has been nabbed by the Egyptian authorities.

The father, who owns a lumber shop in Egypt’s Giza, was caught by law enforcement authorities following a secret operation in which they monitored his online activities.

The man who remains unidentified, claims he was given no choice due to financial difficulties.

According to the report the man received responses from prospective buyers.

Since the revolt in 2011 which saw the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak the economy of the Arab world’s most populous country has sustained multiple shocks caused by political unsteadiness and security issues.

Egypt’s already failing economy took a huge blow by the coronavirus pandemic, and relies greatly on tourism, which makes up around 12 percent of its gross domestic product(GDP).

The government has enacted harsh rigor measures in recent years in an effort to try and reduce its shortfall, including cutting subsidies on electricity and fuel. Some of these drastic conversions have resulted in increased inflation, currency devaluation and a rise in unemployment.

At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic last year the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sanctioned a one year, $5.2 billion financial package for Egypt to assist the struggling alleviate the shattering impact of Covid-19 on its economy.

By Yazdaan Khan