Baby Thief, 16, Busted
In Masindi, Uganda, a 16-year-old girl was arrested for reportedly snatching a three-day-old newborn girl from the local hospital.
The suspect purported to be an attendant at Masindi General Hospital’s maternal ward. He was a resident of Nyabyeya village in Masindi district’s Budongo sub-county.
She then met Sarah Nanjinga, a new mother, and pushed her to hand her baby so she could relax.
Nanjinga, who had just given birth to her baby via C-section at the hospital, gave the baby to a stranger on April 28, 2022.
Nanjinga was forced to submit a report to Masindi Central Police Station after the perpetrator vanished with the infant.
The ward administrators were unaware that the suspect, who had allegedly spent four days in the hospital, was posing as an attendant, according to Dr. Felix Twinomugisha, the Medical Superintendent at Masindi General Hospital.
He advised mothers to be cautious when taking their newborn babies to the district’s various health facilities, saying that many people prey on newborns.
Officers soon nabbed the suspect from her hiding location in Nyabyeya village and detained her along with the kidnapped infant, according to Julius Hakiza, the Albertine district police spokesperson.
“She is being held at the police station while inquiries into how the infant was abducted from Masindi hospital continue,” Hakiza said.
Once police investigations are completed, Hakiza said the suspect will appear in court on suspicions of newborn theft.
