Police traced baby kidnappers with hours of the crime, returning the infant to her parents.
Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
- A four-month-old baby boy was kidnapped in Soweto on Tuesday.
- He was rescued by police hours after she was abducted from her Dobsonville home.
- The kidnappers had demanded a ransom, police said.
A four-month-old boy was rescued and reunited with his family within hours of being kidnapped outside his home in Dobsonville, Soweto.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the incident occurred on Tuesday just after 17:00 when the kidnappers “fled with the infant and immediately started demanding a ransom payment from the family”.
“The matter was reported to the SAPS wherein all relevant specialised units were mobilised to find the infant safe and unharmed as well as apprehend those behind the kidnapping. Members traced the baby to the Roodepoort mining area just after 23:00 on the same night,” he said.
Mathe said the kidnappers demanded a ransom amount of R500 000, but later reduced it to R10 000.
“Ransom was not paid.”
She added that when police had approached the area, the kidnappers had fled into the bushes. A manhunt had since been launched to find and apprehend them.
“The infant was rescued and taken to a nearby health facility for medical examination.
“Once cleared, the infant was safely reunited with her parents,” Mathe said.
She said a manhunt was launched for the group of kidnappers.
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In an unrelated case, a 52-year-old Mpumalanga woman who kidnapped a newborn baby 22 years ago will be back at the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on 10 June for sentencing proceedings.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her victim, pleaded guilty to the crime and was subsequently convicted of kidnapping a newborn.
READ | Kidnapped Cape Town woman reunited with her family after 5 men arrested
In her plea, the woman admitted that her actions were wrong.
According to Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa, the mother of the kidnapped child gave birth in March 2001.
She was walking to a taxi rank with her relative after being discharged from hospital when they met the woman.
The relative then went to the shop and left the new mother with the accused.
“Then the accused offered to assist the complainant by holding a baby after realising she was in pain and dizzy,” Nyuswa said.
“The accused took the baby and informed the complainant that she was going to find her relative, but disappeared.
“The matter was reported to the police, and the accused was arrested in November 2021 after the family member saw a profile of a grown-up child on social media resembling features of the victim’s family.
“A DNA test was conducted and positively linked the child with her biological mother.”