70-Year-Old Baby Thief Busted

THE CENTRAL Regional branch of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service on Monday arrested a 70-year old woman for stealing a three-year-old girl. Esi Bentsiwa, a native of Moree in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) district and a resident of Abura, a suburb of Cape Coast in the Central Region, carried out the act at Brafoyaw near Aggrey Memorial Zion Senior High School in AAK. Some Good Samaritans in the area however managed to rescue the innocent child from Bentsiwa. Briefing Daily Guide at Cape Coast, the Central Regional Commander of the (DOVVSU), DSP George Appiah-Sakyi, said around 9am on that day, Bentsiwa kidnapped the three-year-old child who was playing with some children in the area. He said a 14-year-old girl who took care of a shop in front of the house of the child rushed to inform the baby�s father, Solomon Tengey, a staff of the Forestry Commission that the old lady had kidnapped the girl. DSP Appiah-Sakyi added that Tengey then asked the wife to pursue the old lady while he followed them with his car.He said the couple then gave the old lady who was carrying their baby a hot chase and with the help of some passersby and neighbours, they were able to catch up with her, after which they took the child from her. Tengey then called the police to inform them of the development, leading to Bentsiwa�s arrest. When asked why she tried to steal the baby, Bentsiwa, who sounded like a mentally-deranged person, said the child was her grand-daughter and that she met her sitting by the roadside all by herself so she had to carry her home. She added that she went to Brafoyaw for prayers at the Twelve Apostles Church in order to conceive and saw the �lonely� child by the roadside. When asked her why she wanted to conceive at her age, she could not give any tangible reason and kept telling the police tales that had nothing to do with the question. The DOVVSU commander has therefore advised parents to take good care of their wards, particularly in overcrowded residential areas, in order not to experience such an unfortunate incident. The baby girl has since been handed over to the parents at Brafoyaw while Bentsiwa will soon be processed for court.