Aburi ‘Baby Thief’ Busted At Kintampo

After weeks of restless manhunt,a middle-aged woman suspected of beinga baby thief has been arrested at her hideout, almost three months after allegedly stealing a two months’ old toddler at Aburi in the Eastern Region.

Zenabu Janet was picked up at Baba to Kumah, a village near Kintampo in Bono East Region, after bolting with her landlady’s baby girl.

The suspect, who hails from a community near Tuna, came to the South to work as a chop bar attendant at Aburi.

This paper gathered that, on August 6, this year, the suspect did not go to work, hence her landlady requested her to babysit her daughter, while she prepares a meal for the family.

But few minutes later, at about 5:30pm, the suspect informed the landlady that she was going to buy mobile phone airtime at the roadside, so she carried the baby at her back tied with piece of cloth.

Having waited for some time, the baby’s mother got worried, as the suspect never returned and several searches to locate her whereabouts were unsuccessful.

The mother of the baby, consequentlyfiled an official complaint with the Aburi police, where the case was later forwarded to the Police Headquarters in Accra for further investigation, but made no headway.

A police officer identified as Inspector Alhassan Seidu, stationed at Comet police station, under the Aburi District Police Command, whose wife is the chop bar operator the suspect was working for, decided to voluntarily support police headquarters’ investigation by deploying his investigative skills and experience to help smoke out the suspect and rescue the baby.

Sources say the police officer relied on technology to lay surveillance on the suspect.

He established that the suspect had relocated from her home village, near Tuna, to Babatomah, near Kintampo, where her husband and mother-in-law live.

Upon reaching the community, the police officer disguised himself as a Mallam and went to the Dagomba chief’s palace to narrate the incident and describe the suspect with her old picture.

The Anchorgathered that, upon being briefed, the chief and elders were not convinced the suspect was living in the community.

Not convinced, the police officer spent three days in the community pursing the suspect.

Luck however eluded the suspect when on Tuesday October 25, the police officer got a tip-off that the fugitive was hiding at a place.

Mustering courage, the officer went to the house and saw the suspect withthe baby and the mother in-law.

Strangely, the suspect was said to have denied stealing the baby, insisting she gave birth to her.

She initially resisted arrest andit took several interventions before she was eventually taken to the Kintampo Divisional police command.

She still denied the accusation, but reportedly confessed to the crime,when she was being transported to theheadquarters in Accra.

The Anchor’s information is that, apparently, the suspect was reportedly pregnant, but she had a miscarriage before leaving for Accra.

Upon her return to the village,she told the husband and her In-law that she had given birth.

She renamed the baby Sakira.

“According to the husband, she picked seed and had miscarriage due to quarrels and she left for Accra.That’s when he had information from Zenabu that she had given birth, he did not believe it and refused it, but his mother convinced him to accept it,” a family source said.

Alice Azure, the mother of the baby, said the abduction of her daughter brought her a serious psychological suffering as she couldnot sleep.

She said the baby has been medically examined at the hospital, which result indicates she is in good health.

She commended the police officer for his singular efforts made to rescue the baby.

Source: Anchorghana