Kidnapped Cato Manor infant found, suspect arrested
After hours of frantically searching for her kidnapped infant, Bongiwe Sindane has been reunited with her two weeks old baby who was taken by a woman posing as her friend on Sunday night. The child was taken to hospital for medical assessment after allegedly being fed only with water by the suspect throughout the night.
A CATO Manor mother, Bongiwe Sindane, is breathing a sigh of relief following the return of her two-week-old baby, Owami Sindane, who was allegedly abducted from her home on Sunday night.
The suspect, a 21-year-old woman, was traced and apprehended by members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) in the vicinity of a Westville shopping centre this morning. According to RUSA, the suspect had been planning on fleeing the province with the child, after passing the infant off as her own child to her boyfriend.
RUSA’s Prem Balram said the woman allegedly admitted to the kidnapping. “When reaction officers interviewed the woman, she confirmed that she had kidnapped the child after she suffered a miscarriage on April 24. She then met Bongiwe Sindane at a local clinic and hatched a plan to kidnap her baby so that her boyfriend would not dump her. After kidnapping the baby, she visited her boyfriend in Chesterville and convinced him that it was his child. She further informed officers that the child was fed water in a bottle as she had not purchased infant milk to feed the child.”
Also Read: Tragic end to search for missing seven-year-old in Cato Manor
KZN police spokesperson Captain Ntathu Ndlovu confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect. He said the 21-year-old woman is facing charges of abduction and theft following an incident that reportedly happened on Sunday, May 5, at Shayamoya, Nubian.
“Reports indicate the victim was visited by a female acquaintance whom she had met in passing at the local clinic during her pregnancy. During the visit the mother allegedly went outside to hang up washing and left her baby with the suspect. Upon her return the suspect was gone with the child, along with her cellphone and money. The baby was found and is currently undergoing medical assessment,” said Ndlovu.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court soon.
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