A 32-YEAR-OLD woman of Ndola’s Chipulukusu Township has been left in a state of shock and distress after another woman of Lubuto Township stole her new born baby.

Sofia Kabila 28 is believed to have stolen Susan Kayambo’s child because she wanted to replace hers whom she lost due to a miscarriage.

However, Kabila has since been arrested and detained in police custody for the offence of child stealing.

Copperbelt commanding officer Peacewell Mweemba said Kabila managed to steal the victim’s baby when she went into the Ndola Teaching Hospital premises and pretended to be her relative.

“When the victim asked the nurse to get the baby from the lady, at that point she discovered that the lady was not within the hospital. They tried to look around the hospital in and out the premises but all in vain. At 23:00 hours the matter was reported at the Hospital Police Post. Police made a follow up to Lubuto, where the suspect had given the address that she was coming from Lubuto, but the address given does not exist,” he said.

He said the suspect was then apprehended and the baby was recovered

“When questioned why she committed the crime her response was that sometime back in the month of August, 2022 she had a miscarriage when she was six months pregnant and she never communicated the sad development to the husband,” he said.

Mr Mweemba said the suspect told officers that from the time the suspect experienced the miscarriage, she had been looking for a baby.

“The suspect further said she was able to accomplish the mission of stealing a child because the husband is never home most of the time. The husband to the suspect when he came to the Police also confirmed that he believed that the child was his and took part in the nursing of the child the whole night after being stolen,” he said.