News / National
Woman steal 2 babies in Beitbridge to impress hubby
03 May 2012 at 15:52hrs | Views
THE Bikita woman who stole two babies in Beitbridge in a bid to impress her husband was yesterday sentenced to an effective one year in jail.
Salom Shumba (25), of Chief Mukanganwi area in Bikita, who was employed as a maid at Bishopstone Estate in Beitbridge was convicted by Beitbridge magistrate Ms Gwineth Drawo on her own plea of guilty to one count of kidnapping as defined in section 93 (1) of the Criminal Law (Reform and Codification) Act, Chapter 9:23.
She was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment of which six months were conditionally suspended for five years. Shumba will, however, also appear in court on 11 May facing a similar charge.
The prosecutor, Miss Memory Mandityira, said sometime last year, Shumba got pregnant during which she left her matrimonial home and went to her rural home in Bikita where she gave birth to a still-born baby. Shumba did not reveal to her husband what had transpired.
The court heard that on returning to her home, the husband asked about the baby and Shumba lied and told him that she had left the infant with her parents. She then went back to her employer's house at Bishopstone Estate compound. On 19 April at about 1pm, the complainant left her two-month-old baby in the custody of Shumba as she left for work.
The complainant told Shumba to take the infant to its grandmother's home. Instead of following her employer's instructions, Shumba stole the baby before proceeding to her husband's workplace at River Ranch Mine.
Soon after knocking off, the complainant went to her mother's home intending to breastfeed her baby and she did not find the baby. She then tracked Shumba leading to the discovery of the stolen baby.
Shumba later went to Beitbridge where she again stole another eight-month-old baby from a visually impaired woman staying at Dulibadzimu Bus Terminus. Shumba shaved the stolen baby's hair to make her look like the first one in an effort to convince her husband that it was the same baby she had initially brought home.
The husband became suspicious and reported the matter to the police leading to Shumba's arrest and discovery of the baby.
Salom Shumba (25), of Chief Mukanganwi area in Bikita, who was employed as a maid at Bishopstone Estate in Beitbridge was convicted by Beitbridge magistrate Ms Gwineth Drawo on her own plea of guilty to one count of kidnapping as defined in section 93 (1) of the Criminal Law (Reform and Codification) Act, Chapter 9:23.
She was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment of which six months were conditionally suspended for five years. Shumba will, however, also appear in court on 11 May facing a similar charge.
The prosecutor, Miss Memory Mandityira, said sometime last year, Shumba got pregnant during which she left her matrimonial home and went to her rural home in Bikita where she gave birth to a still-born baby. Shumba did not reveal to her husband what had transpired.
The court heard that on returning to her home, the husband asked about the baby and Shumba lied and told him that she had left the infant with her parents. She then went back to her employer's house at Bishopstone Estate compound. On 19 April at about 1pm, the complainant left her two-month-old baby in the custody of Shumba as she left for work.
The complainant told Shumba to take the infant to its grandmother's home. Instead of following her employer's instructions, Shumba stole the baby before proceeding to her husband's workplace at River Ranch Mine.
Soon after knocking off, the complainant went to her mother's home intending to breastfeed her baby and she did not find the baby. She then tracked Shumba leading to the discovery of the stolen baby.
Shumba later went to Beitbridge where she again stole another eight-month-old baby from a visually impaired woman staying at Dulibadzimu Bus Terminus. Shumba shaved the stolen baby's hair to make her look like the first one in an effort to convince her husband that it was the same baby she had initially brought home.
The husband became suspicious and reported the matter to the police leading to Shumba's arrest and discovery of the baby.
Source - news
