E/R: Police Officer Disguises As Mallam To Arrest Baby Thief

Inspector Alhassan Seidu, from Comet Police station who disguised as a mallam has assisted with investigations and arrested the suspected baby thief, Zenabu Janet, after almost three months of allegedly stealing a two-month-old baby at Aburi in the Eastern Region.

She was arrested at her hideout in Babato Kumah village near Kintampo in Bono East Region.

The suspect who comes from a community near Tuna came to the South to search for greener pastures and an acquaintance introduced her to a chop bar where she worked as an attendant at Aburi.

The owner of the chop bar provided accommodation for her staff in the same compound, so it was reported the landlady was familiar with all the chop bar attendants living in her compound, where they lived as a household.

On August 6, 2022, the suspect did not go to work sowh her landlady requested she babysits her daughter whilst she prepare meals for the family.

A few minutes later at about 5:30 pm, the suspect informed the landlady she was going to buy mobile phone airtime at the roadside and hence carrying the baby at her back with a piece of cloth.

However, the suspect never returned. Several searches were unsuccessful.

The mother of the baby made an official complaint to the Aburi Police and the case was subsequently forwarded to Police Headquarters for further investigation but made no headway.

A police officer identified as Inspector Alhassan Seidu, stationed at Comet Police station under Aburi District Police Command whose wife is the chop bar operator, decided to voluntarily support police headquarters’ investigation by deploying his investigative skills and experience to help smoke out the suspect and rescue the baby.

Sources say the Police officer relied on technology to lay surveillance on the suspect.

He established that the suspect had relocated from her home village near Tuna to Babatomah near Kintampo where her husband and Mother-In-Law live.

Upon reaching the community, the Police officer disguised himself as a Mallam and went to the Dagomba Chief palace to narrate the incident and describe the suspect with her old picture.

But the Chief and elders were not sure such a person was in the community.

Not convinced, the police officer spent three days in the community manhunting the suspect.

On Tuesday, the Police officer got a tip-off and went to a house and saw the suspect and baby with the mother-in-law.

The suspect denied stealing the baby and insisted she gave birth to her.

She, therefore, resisted arrest. It took several interventions before she was taken to Kintampo Divisional police command.

She still denied the accusation but reportedly confessed when being transported to Police Headquarters in Accra.

A family source disclosed that, apparently, the suspect was reportedly pregnant but suffered a miscarriage before leaving for Accra.

Upon return to the village, she told her husband and her In-law that she delivered.

She renamed the stolen baby with the name Sakira.

“According to the husband she picked seed and had a miscarriage due to a quarrel and she left for Accra. When he had information from Zenabu that she had given birth, he did not believe it and refused it but his mother convinced him to accept it,” a family source stated.

Alice Azure, mother of the baby said the abduction of her daughter brought serious psychological suffering to her as she couldn’t sleep.

She said the baby has been medically examined at the hospital which results indicate she is in good health condition.