A 22-year old woman has been left devastated after her seven-day-old baby was kidnapped on Monday at Plumtree Hospital by a female stranger she met while going for routine check up, police have confirmed.
The accused is a woman who claimed to the baby’s mother that she too, had a child who was admitted at the hospital.
The name of the aggrieved mother has been withheld as investigations are ongoing.
In an interview with CITE, Matabeleland South Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the distressing incident.
“On 6 May 2024 around 2pm, the complainant went with her seven-day-old baby to Plumtree Hospital for routine check ups. She met the unknown woman and suspects that the accused can be around 26 years old,” said the provincial spokesperson.
“The mother said the description of the woman is (she looked) clean, brown in complexion, height of about 1.6 metres. The woman was wearing a green top and a pink skirt,” she said.
Inspector Mangena said the two had a conversation and the accused claimed she also had a child who was admitted at Plumtree Hospital.
“She then asked the complainant to buy her some bananas and some soft drinks at the hospital gate, the complainant went to buy, leaving the baby in the custody of this accused. When she returned back, this accused person was nowhere to be found,” she said.
Inspector Mangena said the accused is being sought for kidnapping.
“We are appealing to members, those who might have information that can lead to the arrest of this person to report to any nearest police station,” she said.
In an interview with CITE, the grandfather of the missing baby said his daughter first met up with the accused by the gate when she was going to collect some lunch money from her grandmother.
“My daughter had gone to hospital with her mother (my wife) who then had to leave her at the hospital as she had to prepare for another child going to school. My daughter then asked for lunch money from her mother. who then sent someone to go and give her. It was on my daughter’s way to fetch that money that she first met up with the accused person who asked her the age of her baby before parting ways,” said the grandfather.
“When my daughter returned to the queue she found the accused also on the queue without a baby claiming her child was admitted at the hospital, then they started chatting.”
The grandfather said as time went by, the woman told his daughter that she was hungry and wanted bananas, so she sent my daughter to the gate to buy them.
“My daughter then left this woman with the baby together with the baby’s cards. When she came back she found the woman together with the baby gone,” said the grandfather.
“She told the nurses about the incident, and they searched all the wards but couldn’t locate her. They then reported the matter to the police.”
