PHOTOS: COP disguises as Mallam to arrest suspected baby thief

A suspected baby thief has been arrested at her hideout at Babato Kumah, a community near Kintampo in the Bono East Region after almost three months of allegedly stealing a two-month-old baby at Aburi in the Eastern Region.

The suspect, Janet Zenabu, who hails from a community near Tuna in the Savannah region travelled to work as a chop bar attendant at Aburi.

According to a police source, the suspect on August 6 did not go to work and her landlady whom they lived with requested she babysits her daughter whilst she prepares meals for her 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 while she carried the baby at her back with a piece of cloth.

The mother of the baby who was worried the suspect was not returning made an official complaint at the Aburi Police station.

The case was subsequently forwarded to the Police Headquarters in Accra for further investigation.

A police officer, identified as Inspector Alhassan Seidu at the Aburi District Police Command, whose wife is the chop bar operator the suspect worked for,  decided to voluntarily complement the police’s investigation to smoke out the suspect and subsequently rescue the baby.

As part of his investigations, he established that the suspect had relocated from her home village near Tuna to Babatomah near Kintampo where her husband and mother- in-law lived.

Upon reaching the community, the Police officer disguised himself as a Spiritualist ( Mallam),  went to the Dagomba Chief’s palace to narrate the incident and described the suspect with her picture.

But the chief and elders could not identify her as one of the residents in the community.

Disatisfied , the police officer spent three days in the community locating the whereabouts of the suspect.

Luck eluded the suspect when the officer, on a Tuesday afternoon arrested her in the residence of her mother-in-law following a tip-off.

The suspect, who insisted gave birth to the baby, however, confessed when she was told she will be transported to the Police Headquarters in Accra.

The suspect was apparently 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 her husband, she got pregnant but suffered miscarriage following a quarrel with her husband before relocating to Accra.

Her husband , who doubted her wife had given birth, was convinced by his mother to accept the baby.

The baby is in good health condition after a thorough medical examination.

SOURCE: Kofi Siaw