An Egyptian couple have been charged with putting their child at risk and attempted smuggling after security officers at an airport in the United Arab Emirates found their 5-month-old boy hidden in a small handbag.

Police said the baby was discovered by an X-ray screening at Sharjah International Airport as the couple was traveling through the airport.

The infant is in good condition, police said.

According to Sharjah police, the couple arrived in the UAE last Friday but were not allowed to enter the country because they didn’t have a visa for the infant.

The parents were told they had to wait two days at the airport until the visa office reopened so the boy’s documents could be processed.

On Saturday, the impatient father persuaded his wife to put the baby in their hand luggage in the hope airport security wouldn’t notice, police said.

“We were very surprised. This is the first time we have seen something like this,” police officer Abdel Rahman Shama said. “Even if you are in a desperate situation, how can you put your child in a bag?”

The parents remain in the UAE under police questioning.