Melmoth ‘mom’ charged with perjury after bogus kidnapping claims

A woman (26) has been charged with perjury after making bogus claims about the kidnapping of her non-existent baby.

The woman opened a kidnapping case at Melmoth Police Station on Saturday, saying her three-month-old baby had been snatched by three men in KwaMagwaza.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a search team comprising various role players was dispatched to search for the child.

However, following hours of extensive searching, it came to light that the woman had lied about the kidnapping – in fact, she never had a child.

“The investigation revealed that the woman had lied to her boyfriend and his family about being pregnant and giving birth. The same woman had told her own family she had had a miscarriage. She was arrested and charged with perjury,” said Netshiunda.

He said this was the second woman to be charged with perjury this month.

“A 21-year-old woman will appear in the Madadeni Magistrate’s Court after she lied under oath that she was raped by her uncle. It was later discovered that she was lying.

“The uncle in question is already in custody after being arrested for raping his 15-year-old niece at Blaaubosch in Madadeni,” he said.

Netshiunda warned that reporting a false case is a criminal offence in itself.

“Police will ensure that those who waste limited resources are met with the full wrath of the law. The time police spend opening imaginary cases and investigating non-existent criminal cases could be spent preventing, combatting and investigating genuine cases opened by real victims of crime,” he said.

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

HAVE YOUR SAY