Bulawayo baby snatcher revealed as a female Form 1 pupil

Police have confirmed that the abduction of a two-year-old girl from a busy Bulawayo shopping centre was carried out by a 14-year-old Form One pupil, overturning earlier indications that the suspect was an adult male.

Baby Asanda Ndlovu, who was taken from Meikles Market on Tuesday, was found unharmed on Thursday at business premises at the corner of Herbert Chitepo Street and 3rd Avenue.

The teenage suspect, who cannot be named because she is a minor, was presented to reporters on Friday with her face covered.

In a confession to journalists, she said she staged the kidnapping in a bid to convince her 36-year-old boyfriend, identified only as Mumba, that she had a child.

"Mumba asked me if I have a child and I said yes. So he asked me to bring the baby. That's when I went to Meikles," she said.

According to her account, she entered the mall and approached a stall operated by Nesisa Mpofu, pretending to be a customer looking for a pillow. Mpofu was at work with her baby.

"When I got there the baby was crying and I lifted her up. She stopped crying. She is a friendly baby," the girl said.

Police had initially indicated they were searching for a male suspect after grainy CCTV footage showed a figure in jeans carrying the toddler. The teenager told investigators she did not disguise herself but simply pulled a hoodie over her head.

She said she took the child to Mumba, whom she described as her sister's ex-boyfriend, with the intention of later returning the baby. However, she alleged that Mumba instructed her to remain at his residence in Trenance until Thursday morning, when she returned to the city centre with the toddler.

At a block of flats housing several businesses, she reportedly approached a man in one of the offices and asked him to look after the child for a few minutes, claiming the baby's father was across the street and would collect her.

The man later told police he became suspicious that a stranger would entrust him with a toddler. He locked the teenager inside the office with another woman and rushed to Meikles Market to alert security guards. Police were subsequently called, leading to the child's safe recovery.

The teenager, who lives with her mother in Rangemore, said the baby had been fed rice, hot chips and corn puff snacks during the two days she was missing.

"I'm really sorry. I made a mistake. I'm asking for forgiveness," she said.

She is expected to appear before a juvenile court.

Meanwhile, administrators at Meikles Market said they would be implementing measures to strengthen safety protocols and prevent similar incidents in future.