Posted by By Osaro Okhomina on
SEVENTY-TWO hours after a week-old baby was stolen in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the special squad set up by the state Police Command to track down the kidnappers yesterday recovered the baby at a herbalist's home and arrested the kidnapper and herbalist.
BENIN CITY - SEVENTY-TWO hours after a week-old baby was stolen in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the special squad set up by the state Police Command to track down the kidnappers yesterday recovered the baby at a herbalist's home and arrested the kidnapper and herbalist.
Vanguard gathered that news of the baby's recovery caused jubilation at the state Police headquaters and officers abadoned their duty posts to jubilate with the parents of the kidnapped baby and catch glimpse of those arrested.
It was reliably gathered that the baby, who is yet to be named was kidnapped last week by a friend of the parents who went to the house under the guise of felicitating with them on the arrival of the child.
Vanguard learnt that the kidnapper (names withheld), last Thursday, after staying for some hours with the parents of the baby, requested to use the toilet.
A few minutes after the kidnapper left for the toilet, electricity supply was interrupted and the mother of the baby left the room to buy a candle outside the house, but on her return, the baby was missing from the cot. Attempts to know the wherabouts of the baby failed, while the visitor was nowhere to be found.
Vanguard further learnt that the alleged kidnapper was reported to have phoned her husband that she was in labour at the home of a herbalist in the Ugbekun area of the state capital and had been delivered of a baby girl.
After convincing her husband, who called some tenants at their residence on the joyful news, the kidnapper reportedly urged the husband to pack out of the house before her discharge.
But the operatives handling the case swooped on the kidnapper and the traditional maternity home and recovered the baby.