Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter 

A MAN from Bulawayo’s Mpopoma suburb has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping his ‘lover’s’ two-year-old baby and disappearing with her for almost two days.

Norman Chingombe (25) allegedly disappeared with Ms Qedumisa Ncube’s baby on Tuesday at about midday on the pretext that he was taking her to buy “chips” in the neighbourhood. 

Chingombe allegedly dumped the child at his uncle’s home in the same suburb at about 11PM when he got wind that police were after him.

Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube yesterday said Chingombe was being charged with kidnapping.

“We are investigating a kidnapping case which we were previously treating as a missing person incident. The accused is alleged to have taken the minor child after he found her mother not feeling well at her home in the same suburb. In taking their child, he allegedly claimed that he was giving the mother, who he is suspected to had been having a relationship with, time to rest,” said Insp Ncube.

He said the suspect did not bring the child back at the expected time resulting in the mother filing a missing person report.

Insp Ncube said after going through the circumstances of the case police decided to charge Chingombe with kidnapping.

The infant’s father Mr Benson Matjaka said they were relieved to have found their child.

“My child disappeared with Nocks on Tuesday between 11:30AM and 12pm. He took my daughter claiming that he wanted to buy her chips. However, he disappeared with the child and we spent the rest of Tuesday looking for her to no avail. We only heard that he was going to drinking spots with the child claiming that she was his daughter,” said Mr Matjaka.

“We were distressed and continued searching for the child and we heard that he had taken her to his girlfriend’s place in Emakhandeni where they were drinking beer. On Wednesday, at about 11PM we got a phone call that he had left her at his uncle’s place who also stays in Mpopoma suburb.”

He said they could not get information from the suspect on why he had taken the baby while dismissing that Chingombe has an affair with his wife.

Mr Matjaka said his family only knows the suspect as a DJ who they hired to play at their child’s birthday party.

He said what was worrying is that it’s not the first time the accused is claimed to have disappeared with a minor child. “We are being told that he has done it previously. We heard that he did the same thing before with another child. Therefore, we are worried because he is a heavy drinker and we know a lot of bad decisions are made while someone is drunk. He also spends a lot of time with people who drink so its worrying that he had disappeared with the child for almost two days.” 

Mr Matjaka said they were taking the minor to Mpilo Central Hospital so that there can be a medical examination to prove that the baby was not sexually abused. @nqotshili

You Might Also Like

Comments