This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
Published on December 1, 2019, a woman suspected of stealing newborn babies at Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Nairobi was arrested on Saturday.
The suspect, Irene Syombua, was nabbed at around 9 pm while trying to steal an infant at the hospital.
During a search of her car, detectives found a dead baby wrapped in a sack in the boot, leading police to believe she intended to swap it with a living one.
The woman is being detained awaiting arraignment in court on Monday.
Security lapses at the hospital have led to rampant cases of child theft, with another woman arrested last month for carrying a stolen baby on a backpack.
Earlier in July, a childless nurse, Sheila Adhiambo Aluoch, was arrested for allegedly attempting to steal her friend's newborn baby.
According to Pumwani Maternity Hospital medical superintendent Leonard Okoko, the hospital immediately alerted the police who arrested the suspect.
