A 24-year-old woman from Madlambuzi village outside Beit Bridge allegedly colluded with her 26-year-old boyfriend and killed their newborn baby in an effort to conceal their illicit affair, police have said.

Police spokesperson Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe said the incident occurred last Wednesday at Madlambuzi village.

“The woman, Memory Gumbo, whose husband is serving a jail term, apparently had an illicit affair with Titus Kokerai, which resulted in her falling pregnant. Last Wednesday, the woman experienced labour pains. She then approached her boyfriend and the two hatched a plan to kill the baby. Soon after giving birth, Gumbo and Kokerai stashed the newly born baby boy in a plastic bag and put the infant into a suitcase, suffocating the baby boy,” Dzirutwe said.

Gumbo was, however, later approached by a local woman who quizzed her over her pregnancy, and she allegedly told the woman that she had had a miscarriage. The woman became suspicious and reported the matter to the police, leading to Gumbo’s arrest. She then implicated Kokerai.

Dzirutwe said the two suspects would appear in court soon, facing infanticide charges. The body was taken to a local hospital for a post mortem.