MOSCOW, Ocotber 8 (RAPSI) – A Russian police advisor in Liberia saved a child from ritual sacrifice, the Russian Interior Ministry reports on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Safronov, an advisor on operational issues to the Liberian National Police, reportedly tracked down an individual that was preparing to sell a child for the purposes of ritual sacrifice. In a sting operation, a woman acting as a buyer met a man who intended to sell the child and agreed upon the price of $150. The seller was then told that the child was purchased for the purpose of ritual killing, and still agreed to the transaction.

The man was detained on the scene. He turned out to be a distant relative of the child, who was appointed his legal guardian after the boy’s parents perished.

The Interior Ministry reports that ritual sacrifice is widespread in Liberia, stemming from traditional beliefs. Usually, children under 10 years of age are used as sacrificial offerings.