Woman arrested for stealing babies

A 25-year-old woman, employed as a domestic servant at Bishopstone Estate outside Beit Bridge, has been arrested for allegedly stealing two babies in a bid to impress her husband.

Police spokesperson, Chief Supt Lawrence Chinhengo, said the suspect was arrested at a local mine where she was hiding. “Our preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect got pregnant last year, during which she left her matrimonial home and went to her rural home in Bikita, where she gave birth to a stillborn baby,” he said The woman, however, did not reveal to her husband what had transpired. “On returning to her home, the husband asked about the baby, and she lied and told him that she had left the infant with her parents. A few days later, she suspect went back to her employer’s house, where she stole a two-month-old baby. She then went back to her husband at River Ranch Mine and showed him the baby,” Chinhengo said.

The baby’s parents later tracked the suspect, leading to the discovery of the stolen baby. Chinhengo said the suspect went to Beit Bridge, where she stole another eight-month-old baby from a blind woman, staying at the Dulibadzimu bus terminus. “The suspect took the baby to her husband. He became suspicious, however, and reported the matter to the police, leading to her arrest."

The suspect will appear in court soon.

News - Date: 04 May 2012

Mashudu Netsianda

Mashudu Netsianda is our correspondent in Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe. He joined us in 2006, writing both local and international stories. He had worked for several Zimbabwean publications, as well as the Times of Swaziland. Mashudu received his training at the School of Mass Communication in Harare.

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