Baby Snatched From Home, Mother Arrested
5 June 2021
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By A Correspondent- Ms Vicky Nhanhete, a sex worker based in Chinhoyi was arrested by police when she went to report that her baby had been kidnapped by unknown assailants.

Nhanhete (27) is said to have left her three minor children sleeping in their single-room lodgings in Chinhoyi, for a local drinking spot, where she dabbles in sex work.

She returned around 1 AM with her overnight client only to find the toddler missing and the other children shook.

The children reported that a man had forcibly opened the door and snatched the baby, before threatening to knife them if they screamed.

Nhanhete reported the matter herself to Cherima police base in Chikonohono high-density suburb less than an hour after the alleged kidnapping.

The police, however, threw Nyanhete and her roommate, Lyda Kashambwa (34) in police cells where they spent three nights as they were regarded as key suspects.

They were later freed on Wednesday by the courts due to lack of evidence.

According to police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Nyathi, the child has not yet been found.

The dejected mother of three, including the kidnapped toddler, Dadirai Seremwe, yesterday narrated her ordeal.

Narrating her ordeal to The Herald, Nhanhete said:

_Upon returning with a client that I had charged $2 000 for the night, I looked for my child that I had left asleep with her other siblings but to no avail. I asked the other housemates if they had seen my child to which all professed ignorance._

_My roommate, who is also a hooker and had left for home before me, also professed ignorance. We then went to Cherima Police Base where we were told not to panic as the officers on duty believed my child could have been taken by one of the housemates._

She said she went back to the police the following day after several attempts including the toddler’s biological father who stays in Trelawney, Zvimba had yielded nothing.

Nyanhete’s 7-year-old firstborn who was left babysitting her kidnapped toddler, her four-year-old young sister and Kashambwa’s child physically identified the intruder as someone she has come across several times although she does not know the name.

She narrated:

_The man got in and grabbed my sister and when I tried to call for help, he pointed a knife at me and threatened to kill me before ordering me to cover my head with a blanket as he left._

_There were some people that were speaking outside and sounded like women._

Cases of child kidnappings and murder have been on the rise lately with some suspecting that the babies are being killed for ritual purposes.