Baby snatcher caught

A 30-year-old woman from Gochas in the Hardap Region is being held in a Kalkrand Police cell in connection with the kidnapping last month of a 14-month-old baby.

The child was snatched from her mother’s care during the early hours of Saturday, August 19. During that same weekend, Police reported the arrest of two Zimbabwean nationals who were suspected of committing the crime.According to Detective Inspector Kobie Theron of the Mariental Police, the real culprit was caught a week later at the small town of Gochas.The two foreigners were released after no evidence was found to connect them to the crime, Theron told The Namibian yesterday.They were only taken into custody because they had been spotted in the area from where the child was taken, at the approximate time of the incident, Theron said.However, reports started circulating at Gochas that week that a woman who had not been pregnant was suddenly taking care of a child never before seen there.These rumours reached the Police at Mariental, and Frederika Coetzee was subsequently arrested on Friday, August 29.Coetzee remains in Police custody at Kalkrand, despite having been granted bail.She is scheduled to make a second appearance in court on October 3.During that same weekend, Police reported the arrest of two Zimbabwean nationals who were suspected of committing the crime.According to Detective Inspector Kobie Theron of the Mariental Police, the real culprit was caught a week later at the small town of Gochas.The two foreigners were released after no evidence was found to connect them to the crime, Theron told The Namibian yesterday.They were only taken into custody because they had been spotted in the area from where the child was taken, at the approximate time of the incident, Theron said.However, reports started circulating at Gochas that week that a woman who had not been pregnant was suddenly taking care of a child never before seen there.These rumours reached the Police at Mariental, and Frederika Coetzee was subsequently arrested on Friday, August 29.Coetzee remains in Police custody at Kalkrand, despite having been granted bail.She is scheduled to make a second appearance in court on October 3.