A 50-year-old woman was granted R5 000 bail after she was traced and arrested in Umgababa, on Monday, following the kidnapping of an infant from Durban, in November.
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala, said the accused appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and the matter was remanded to 1 March. “The complainant alleged that on 22 November at 2pm, she left the King Edward Hospital carrying her six-day-old baby boy. While she was waiting for a bus, she was approached by an unknown woman who befriended her. “The woman, believed to be in her thirties, offered to buy groceries for the child after she learned that the mother was unemployed. The complainant and the woman boarded a taxi to Dr Pixley Kaseme Street in Durban in order for the woman to purchase some clothes for the infant,” said Lt Col Gwala.
“They went to a shop at which point the unknown woman gave the complainant cash to purchase something for the baby. The woman informed the baby’s mother to leave the baby with her whilst she proceeded to purchase the required items. The complainant left her baby with the woman, who stood outside the shop. After a few minutes the mother of the child returned from the shop and discovered that the woman had disappeared with the infant. A case of kidnapping was opened for investigation,” Lt Col Gwala added.
