CHIRUNDU BABY SNATCHER NABBED

By KALOBWE BWALYA

A 26-year-old woman of Chirundu district has been arrested for stealing a one-month-old baby.

Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said yesterday, Jacqueline Katema, of Chiawa village in Chiawa Chiefdom, was arrested on Saturday for child stealing.

Mr. Hamoonga said the suspect appeared to be heavily pregnant when she went to the house of the mother to the baby, Christine Shabongwe aged 28 and told her that she was a police officer and was looking for a lady with a newly old baby.

Mr Hamoonga explained in a statement that the incident happened around 19:00 hours at Nakakuyu village.

“The brief facts are that police received a report of child stealing on May 5, 2022 at 20:30 hours from Christine Shabongwe aged 28 of Nakakuyu Village who reported that her one month old baby boy had been stolen by a woman she only described as tall, slim with a beard and a black spot in the right eye,” he said. Mr. Hamoonga said after the matter was reported to police, investigations were instituted and the suspect was apprehended after she had taken the child to the Chirundu hospital pretending to have given birth.

He said this was after hospital authorities became suspicious and alerted the police. The suspect is detained in police custody and would appear in court soon.

Meanwhile, two children from the same family identified as Emmanuel Chalwe aged 3 and Devine Chalwe aged 2 were discovered dead in a septic tank.

The mother to the deceased, Brenda Musonda, aged 49, of Chilimanyemba Mwachindalo village, reported the matter to Kabangwe police post that her children had gone missing on May 5, 2022 around 17:00 hours.

Mr. Hamoonga said on May 07 around 14: 00 the two bodies were discovered in a septic tank at the neighbor’s house. “Police visited the scene and managed to retrieve the two bodies which have been deposited in UTH mortuary awaiting post-mortem. Police have since instituted investigations in the matter,” he said.