A 36-year-old woman of Musonda Township in Kitwe has been arrested for allegedly stealing a two-year-old child and later taking her to her boyfriend’s house.
The suspect, identified as Ethel Mvula, is alleged to have taken the child while she was playing with friends in the yard.
Copperbelt Province Police Commanding Officer Mwala Yuyi said the incident occurred on Saturday around 17:30 hours in Chipata Township.
According to Yuyi, the child’s mother, Jane Kalobwe, later reported the matter to police after discovering that her daughter had gone missing.
He said that on the day of the incident around 17:00 hours, Kalobwe was washing clothes at home while her child was playing with other children in the yard. When she finished and went to check on her daughter, she discovered that the child was no longer among the group.
Kalobwe began searching for the child in the neighbourhood and spoke to a woman who had recently moved near her home. The woman reportedly told her that she had seen an unidentified lady carrying the child.
Yuyi said another person later informed Kalobwe that when Mvula was asked where she was taking the child, she allegedly said she was taking the child to the police.
Kalobwe reportedly visited several police stations in search of her daughter but did not find her.
The following day around 07:00 hours, during a search with neighbours, Mvula was identified in the Musonda area of Riverside Township by women who had earlier seen her with the child.
“When she was questioned about the whereabouts of the child, Mvula told the search party that she had left the child at her boyfriend’s house within Riverside,” Yuyi said.
He added that Mvula led the group to an unfinished house where the child was found with her boyfriend.
The child has since been taken to Kitwe Teaching Hospital for medical examinations, while Mvula remains in police custody.
