A three-year-old who had been kidnapped was found safe and unharmed due to the quick thinking of two Ezakheni officers who worked around the clock to find the toddler and managed to arrest one suspect.
On Thursday, 17 March, an Ezakheni mother left her three-year-old girl with the child’s sibling instead of at the crèche, where the child usually is at that time. After the mother had left, an unknown lady presented herself at the house and introduced herself as an employee from the child’s crèche. She further alleged that the crèche was having a function and that she needed to take the child along with her. She requested a bottle of milk and a few diapers. The sibling obliged and the lady left with the child. When the mother arrived and realised what had transpired she immediately contacted the Ezakheni Police and opened a criminal case. Family Violence and Sexual Offence detectives, Sergeant Shezi and Sergeant Mbatha, were tasked with the investigation. They began by interviewing the child’s siblings and neighbours, following every lead and working throughout the weekend, having very little rest. The duo eventually received valuable information on the possible whereabouts of the child and took a relative and the witness to identify the child who was located in the St Chads area. The suspect was shocked to be confronted by the officers and fainted during the interview. She was placed under arrest and will appear at the Ezakheni Magistrate’s Court, facing a charge of kidnapping. The child has been examined by a medical practitioner and is in good health.
