A 27-year-old woman was arrested by the police on Monday as she tried to flee Leer Town in Unity State’s Leer County after stealing a one-month-old baby girl on Sunday night.
Kuony Chan Kulang, the Director of Police in Leer County, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that the woman was arrested at a checkpoint along the border of Leer and Mayiendit counties as she attempted to flee with the infant.
“She was sent back to us here in Leer Town for investigations by the police in Mayiendit County and is now in detention at police the county headquarters,” he said. “The incident (theft) took place at 1:20 a.m. on Sunday when the mother of the child was enjoying sleep in Leer Town and the thief took the child to that side of Mayiendit.”
According to the police officer, the motive of stealing the child was not clear and the mother initially thought a wild animal had snatched and eaten the infant upon waking up.
“She (mother) did not expect her child to be taken by another woman who is a neighbor. People are saying that the suspect might have lied to her partner that she was pregnant and this forced her to take the baby girl,” he explained. “We did not manage to investigate the case because the entire community came to the police station and wanted to kill the suspect but we managed to protect her. We will investigate in the next few days when we know that nobody is looking for her to kill her.”
For his part, Leer County Commissioner Stephen Taker Riek Dong confirmed the arrest and thanked the police for acting swiftly.
“I appreciate the work of the security personnel in arresting the criminal lady who stole a one-month-old baby girl. After the investigation, she will face the law,” he stated. “The infant is now at the hospital because she spent 23 hours without taking some milk from her mother.”
Meanwhile, Doctor Riek Koang, a civil society activist, also lauded the police for apprehending “the woman who is a child thief.”
“I am also appealing to the Government of Unity State to take action against child abductions,” he urged.