A 29-year-old woman was arrested for false reporting that her baby was kidnapped. Image: Twitter/@SAPoliceService
Police arrest ‘social worker’ after she kidnapped baby from taxi rank
A woman was arrested this week for kidnapping a baby in October. She presented herself as a social worker that helped unemployed mothers.
A 29-year-old woman was arrested for false reporting that her baby was kidnapped. Image: Twitter/@SAPoliceService
The police in Mpumalanga arrested a 38-year-old woman for allegedly kidnapping a baby from a taxi rank a fortnight ago, on Wednesday, 10 November. The suspect allegedly offered to hold the child and slipped away when the mother was preoccupied.
INFANT STOLEN FROM TAXI RANK
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said that on Thursday, 28 October, the suspect introduced herself to the baby’s mother at a local taxi rank.
The suspect presented herself as a social worker that helps unemployed mothers. She then sent the baby’s mother to buy her food at a nearby shop and offered to hold the baby.
“When the mother returned from the shop she found that the suspect had disappeared with her baby,” said Mohlala.
POLICE BREAKTHROUGH
The baby’s mother immediately reported the kidnapping to the police and an investigation into the matter was launched.
On Wednesday, 10 November, the police gathered pertinent information and a breakthrough was made.
They followed the lead to a house in Extension 5 in Embalenhle where they found the kidnapped infant inside the house with the suspect.
The 38-year-old woman was arrested on the spot and charged with kidnapping. She is expected to appear in court imminently.
The Mpumalanga Commissioner of Police warned mothers not to leave their children in the care of strangers, said the police spokesperson.
