'Good Samaritan' Allegedly Kidnaps Baby After Offering Some Cash To Unemployed Mother

Police in South Africa are looking for a woman who allegedly kidnapped a week-old baby after offering the child's unemployed mother some money to buy necessities.

The mother, whose name hasn't been disclosed, said she met the woman Monday afternoon as she waited for her bus. She had just left the King Edward Hospital in the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province at that time.

"While she was waiting for a bus, she was approached by an unknown woman who befriended her," Captain Nqobile Gwala, spokesperson of KwaZulu-Natal police, said as per Times Live.

"The woman, believed to be in her 30s, offered to buy groceries for the child after she learned that the mother was unemployed. The complainant and the woman boarded a taxi to Dr. Pixley Kaseme Street in Durban for the woman to purchase clothes for the infant," Gwala added.

Together, the two women went to a shop and the suspected kidnapper gave the mother some cash to buy groceries and clothes for the baby. She then told the mother to leave the baby with her so that she could get the necessary things, reported IOL News.

"The complainant left her baby with the woman who stood outside the shop," Gwala said further.

After completing her purchases only a few minutes later, the mother returned from the shop and discovered that the "Good Samaritan" had disappeared with her child.

Police have filed a kidnapping complaint against the suspected kidnapper and are investigating the incident.

Kidnapping is said to be on the rise in South Africa. Based on a report from Daily Maverick, kidnapping cases in the county increased by 16% in 2019 alone. The same report said that there were a total of 6,632 cases of kidnapping in the country from April 2019 to March 2020.

In October, three boys, known as the Moti Brothers, were abducted on their way to school in Polokwane, a town in NE South Africa. Seven men armed with R5 rifles and handguns reportedly intercepted their vehicle and forcefully removed them. Though the boys were able to return home earlier this month, people have urged authorities to make their case a national issue.

In another similar incident, a woman was arrested in coastal South African province KwaZulu-Natal for allegedly kidnapping a 4-day-old infant. The suspect met the mother near a hospital. The two got on a bus and the mother asked the woman to hold the baby while she ate her meal. After getting off at a bus stand, the suspect got into a car with the baby and left. Later, she was arrested while obtaining a vaccination card for the baby, according to News24.