Woman, 38, arrested after newborn baby kidnapped at bus terminus

Tot found 24 hours later after mum duped following child birth at Bulawayo's Mpilo Hospital

Snatched away ... A mum lost her baby for 24 hours after a stranger who befriended her kidnapped the tot in Bulawayo

BULAWAYO – A 38-year-old woman has been arrested after kidnapping a newborn baby, Bulawayo police said on Tuesday.

Anita Khumalo, of Pumula South, spent a night with the baby before her suspicious aunt raised the alarm.

Police have warned new mums not to trust strangers with their children “as this is not the first time we are receiving such a case.”

At around midday on September 10, the baby’s 18-year-old mother was sat on a bench at Mpilo Hospital with another woman, waiting for her discharge papers, when Khumalo joined them, police said.

“Khumalo offered to assist in getting both of them discharged. She then offered them transport from the hospital to Renkini Bus Terminus where they were supposed to get transport to the complainant’s rural home in Nyamandlovu,” Bulawayo police spokesman Abednico Ncube said in a statement.

“Khumalo, the complainant and her friend left the hospital and boarded a white Honda Fit which had been hired by the accused person. They proceeded to Renkini but they were advised to proceed to 3^rd Avenue and Lobengula Street terminus.”

Ncube said the Nyamandlovu mum and Khumalo left the former’s friend at Renkini and then walked to the 3^rd Avenue terminus, about 2km away. Khumalo carried the baby.

“Upon arrival at the 3^rd Avenue terminus, Khumalo sent the unsuspecting mother to check for transport to Nyamandlovu inside the terminus and she remained behind, standing under a tree shed,” Ncube said.

The mum was horrified when she returned 10 minutes later and found Khumalo and her baby gone.

A day later, on September 11^,Khumalo went to her rural home in Ntabazinduna. Her aunt, according to Ncube, asked her the child’s weight at birth but she appeared not to know. Instead, Khumalo handed her aunt the child’s birth card and told her to confirm the weight.

“The aunt then discovered that the name of the child’s mother on the health card was not corresponding with the accused’s name. She then took Khumalo together with the child to the clinic for verification. Investigations carried out by the clinic staff revealed that the newborn baby was delivered at Mpilo Hospital on September 9, 2023, and was kidnapped on September 10, 2023,” Ncube said.

Police were called to the clinic and arrested Khumalo. The child was reunited with its mother and is doing well.

Police said baby theft was not uncommon.

“People who steal babies pretend to be playing with the infant but having their hidden agendas. We appreciate the aunt who actually noticed some anomalies in her niece’s story,” Ncube added.