Kidnapped Welkom baby found

According to the police, promises of being given a good job made the baby’s mother an easy target for the suspect who prayed on her vulnerability

Hardly a month has passed since newborn baby was stolen at an Odendaalsrus hospital. Now a similar incident taken place in Welkom, where an eight-month-old baby, of 21-year-old Matshidiso Seobi, was kidnapped last week Monday.

However, the police made a crucial breakthrough last week Friday, when a 28-year-old woman was arrested for stealing the baby According to police spokesperson, Captain Stephan Thakeng, it appears as if the kidnapper had carefully planned the crime over a period of time.

“The promise of a good job that would enable her to take care of the eight-month-old Katleho made Matshidiso Seobi an easy target. The drama started when the kidnapper went to Shelly’s, Mathidiso’s mother, house last week Monday morning and asked to see her daughter whom she had met at the clinic. When Matshidiso came out of the bedroom, the woman pretended to know her. She informed Matshidiso about an employment opportunity at a garage in Stateway, Welkom.

“She told Matshidiso to hurry up, as they had to be at the garage before 14:00. The kidnapper also told Mathidiso to bring the baby with her so that the prospective employer could see that she was the mother of a young child and that she could only work during the day. When they reached the Total Garage, the woman told Matshidiso to go back to Thabong to fetch the child’s clinic card to hand in together with her Curriculum Vitae. The baby stayed behind with the kidnapper.”

Upon her return, the suspect allegedly sent Seobi on another wild goose chase.

“Upon Matshidiso’s return, the woman demanded her identity document. She again left the baby with the woman so that she could go into a nearby shop to buy airtime to call her mother and tell her to bring the document to her. The queue was long, and when Matshidiso went outside again, the woman and Katleho were gone,” said Thakeng.

Seobi cried out for help and the police were summoned. They arrived at the scene within minutes, but there was no sign of the woman or the baby.

Thakeng said somebody saw the woman at the Goldfields Mall. Apparently the woman stood there until the police had left. Seobi is elated about being reunited with her baby.

“My heart is overjoyed. But I cannot forgive her. This woman knew exactly what she was doing when she took my baby, therefore she deserves the full wrath of the law,” said Seobi.

Thakeng said clothing that the accused was wearing when the child was stolen had also been seized.