Child-stealing suspect to appear in court
HILLCREST – A 30-year-old woman is due to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today facing child stealing charges.
She was arrested by the Durban Central police after they followed up information about her whereabouts at KwaNyuswa area in Hillcrest yesterday.
It was reported that on Saturday, August 13, at about 10am the suspect approached the victim who had just given birth to a baby boy at one of the Durban hospitals. The suspect then offered to assist the victim since her family was unable to fetch her and her child from the hospital.
The woman and her baby were getting ready to leave the hospital when the suspect allegedly gave money to the victim to buy her airtime whilst she offered to keep her baby at a taxi rank. When the victim returned, she noticed that both her baby and the woman were gone.
A case of child stealing was opened at Durban Central police station for further investigation. Through hard work by the police, the suspect was traced at KwaNyuswa area and the child was found alive.
The suspect was charged with child stealing and will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today. The child was handed over to the victim after he was taken for a mandatory medical check-up.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni praised Durban Central police officers for working tirelessly in tracing and arresting the suspect who was allegedly involved in stealing the child. “I am also happy that the child was found alive as in some cases, missing children are found dead. The child has been re-united with his mother in a good healthy condition,” she said.
