A suspected baby thief, Zenabu Janet, has been arrested at her hideout in Babato Kumah village near Kintampo in Bono East Region after almost three months of allegedly stealing a two-month-old baby at Aburi in the Eastern Region.
The suspect who hails from a community near Tuna came to the South to work as a chop bar attendant at Aburi.
On August 6, 2022, the suspect did not go to work hence her landlady requested she babysits her daughter whilst she prepare meals for the family.
A few minutes later at about 5:30 pm, the suspect informed the landlady she was going to buy mobile phone airtime at the roadside and hence carrying the baby at her back with a piece of cloth.
However, the suspect never returned.
Several searches were unsuccessful.
The mother of the baby made an official complaint to the Aburi Police and the case was subsequently forwarded to Police Headquarters for further investigation but made no headway.
A police officer identified as Inspector Alhassan Seidu, stationed at Comet Police station under 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 the husband and Mother-In-Law live.
Upon reaching the community, the Police officer disguised himself as a Mallam and went to the Dagomba Chief palace to narrate the incident and describe the suspect with her old picture.
But the Chief and elders were not sure such a person was in the community.
Not convinced, the police officer spent three days in the community manhunting the suspect.
One Tuesday, the Police officer got a tip-off and went to a house and saw the suspect and baby with the mother-in-law.
The suspect denied stealing the baby and insisted she gave birth to her.
She, therefore, resisted arrest. It took several interventions before she was taken to Kintampo Divisional police command.
She still denied the accusation but reportedly confessed when being transported to Police Headquarters in Accra.
Bryt FM has gathered that, apparently, the suspect was reportedly pregnant but suffered a miscarriage before leaving for Accra.
Upon return to the village, he told the husband who had travelled and her In-law that she delivered.
She renamed the baby with the name Sakira.
“According to the husband she picked seed and had a miscarriage due to quarrelled and she left for Accra. That when he had information from Zenabu that she had given birth, he did not believe it and refused it but his mother convince him to accept it,” a family source told Bryt FM News.
Alice Azure, mother of the baby said the abduction of her daughter brought serious psychological suffering to her as she couldn’t sleep.
She said the baby has been medically examined at the hospital which results indicate she is in good health condition.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
