The Zvimba woman who allegedly kidnapped a child at Montagu Spar in Harare, is reportedly looking after two more children aged five years and two-and-a-half years, whose parentage has been put to question, in the light of recent events.
The woman, identified as Miriam Bwanali is still at large, however her husband Gift Chemhuru was arrested and remanded in custody as the State applied for further detention, to allow the investigating officers to go to Mutoko where the two children are reported to be hidden.
Gift Chemhuru has been charged with kidnapping, after the kidnapped baby, Tamiranashe was found at his homestead.
Gift Chemhuru is also a suspect in theft and motor vehicle offences.
According to close sources, the two kids, a boy and a girl, were located in Mutoko where Bwanali is alleged to have taken them for safekeeping at a relative’s homestead.
Bwanali is alleged to have kidnapped the children while they were aged between three weeks and one-month-old.
A team of Harare detectives is on their way to Mutoko, to secure the children.
After their retrieval, the children will be taken to the Department of Social Welfare while further investigations take place.
Police will then appeal to anyone missing their children to contact them and DNA testing will be done, to verify who are the biological parents.
Miriam Bwanali kidnapped baby Tamiranashe from her mom, Shani Charamanda after she masqueraded as a good Samaritan, who offered to carry the baby.
Charamanda is said to have initially refused, but Bwanali insisted and she gave in.
While they were at Spar Montagu shopping center, Miriam Bwanali allegedly gave Charamanda US$42 and a pack of diapers and told her to join the queue and pay for them, and she complied.
As Charamanda approached the till, Bwanali slowly walked towards the door and fled with baby Tamiranashe.
Charamanda could not locate the child after she came out of the shop and she also found out that her bag was also missing, with her wallet, which had a Nokia mobile phone, US$2 and $45.
Charamanda broke down after realizing her child had been kidnapped and she was taken to Milton Park Police Station to report the matter.
The shop CCTV footage showed Bwanali committing the offence
While her husband was arrested after the child was retrieved in Zvimba, Bwanali is still at large and now a fugitive from justice.-iHarare
