Soweto tenant on the run after attempting to kidnap a child in a suitcase

A 32-year-old Soweto woman is on the run after she allegedly tried to kidnap a child using a travel bag.

Child found in a tenant’s bags

According to police spokesperson Mavela Masondo, the woman who stayed in a communal house was moving out of the property at the weekend when the mother of the child, who is also a tenant, realised that her child was missing.

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“The mother then started searching for the child. She thought of searching the woman’s bags and the child was found inside one of the travelling bags, with her hands and feet tied up and a cloth tucked inside her mouth,” he said.

The woman fled the scene, sparking a manhunt.

Community warned to be careful

A voice note circulating in community groups in Soweto said the child had been taken to Lenmed Hospital, where she is in a serious but stable condition and receiving medical attention.

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According to the voice note, the child seemed to have been drugged.

“There was an e-hailing car at the gate already when the mother realised something was wrong. She apparently told the driver that he would not go anywhere until her child was found,” it said.

There are suspicions that the alleged kidnapping could be related to Muthi murders.

“Please be careful when you live in a commune. You never know what kind of people you are living with,” the voice note warned.