Father sells son in quest for pop stardom

Police in Chengdu, Sichuan province, recently detained a young man for selling his own son. The man confessed he sold his 4-month-old son because he needed money to participate in a TV singing talent show, Yangtze Evening News reported on Thursday.

The man, who was originally from Guizhou province and was raised in Danyang, Jiangsu province, told the police he has been keen on singing since he was very young and always dreamed of becoming a star.

Earlier this year, he became obsessed with the singing talent program Super Boy by Hunan TV, and applied to take part. The process cost him more than 8,000 yuan ($1,320).

His son was born during that time. Because of increasing financial stress caused by participating in the program, He came up with the idea of selling the infant. He sold the baby for 10,000 yuan at a train station in Danyang to a woman he contacted through the Internet in August.

His wife reported the missing baby to local police in August. The man is now detained in Chengdu, and will be sent back to Danyang for trial.