STOLEN FIVE-MONTH-OLD CHIPATA BABY RECOVERED IN CHONGWE; FEMALE SUSPECT ARRESTED
Forensic
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STOLEN FIVE-MONTH-OLD CHIPATA BABY RECOVERED IN CHONGWE; FEMALE SUSPECT ARRESTED
A 26-YEAR-OLD woman who stole a five-month-old baby in Chipata has been apprehended in Chongwe by the police, and the baby has been successfully retrieved from her .
Sylvia Mwewa had reportedly been faking a pregnancy after being married for more than two years before stealing the baby from her friend.
She went away with the child on July 30, 2026, after telling the mother she was taking him to her house to bathe him and cook for him after playing with him.
Mr Mweemba said the suspect was apprehended on August 3, 2026, around 15:00 hours in the Chongwe area of Lusaka. She is currently detained at Chongwe Police Station, while the baby was retrieved and has since been reunited with his family.
He added that arrangements are underway to transfer the suspect to Chipata Central Police Station.
"Brief facts of the matter are that the mother of the baby and the suspect know each other, and the suspect occasionally visited the mother to play with the baby. On the day of the incident, she went to the house, played with the baby, and asked his mother if she could take him to bathe and feed him," he said.
Mr Mweemba noted that the suspect never brought the child back. She was later spotted by members of the public heading into Chipata town with the infant.
"Upon realizing she was not bringing the child back, efforts were made to call her phone, but she did not answer, and her phone was later switched off. This prompted the complainant to lodge a formal report," Mr Mweemba said.
The baby's grandmother revealed that the suspect has no children of her own and was allegedly faking a pregnancy. She added that the suspect, originally from Chongwe, had relocated to the village with her husband.
The grandmother expressed deep distress, stating that the family was traumatized and the parents were left heartbroken.
