By James Gwati- A teen mother from Masvingo’s Nyevedzanai Village in Chivi District has shocked locals after she allegedly threw her two-year-old baby into the crocodile-infested Tugwi River following a dispute with her brother over her alleged promiscuous behaviour.

The baby, which was thrown into one of the biggest rivers in the province which also feeds into the giant Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, has not been found since the incident happened on 1 April.

Masvingo police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident to the state media and said the teen mother has been arrested while officials are still searching for the baby.

“On 1 April the 17-year-old female juvenile was coming from fetching water at a nearby stream when her 16-year-old brother saw her from a distance talking to a local boy, which did not go down well with the brother. When they went back home, they had an argument and the juvenile mother got angry and told him that she was going to commit suicide,” he said.

Insp Dhewa said later that day the teen mother took her two-year-old daughter to the river which is two kilometres away from their homestead and allegedly threw her into the water. She later came back and told her brother that she had thrown the baby into the river.

Insp Dhewa said the brother told their grandmother who reported the matter to the police leading to the teen being arrested. Villagers told Sunday News that the teen mother’s brother was not happy with the way his sister had been behaving for some time.