A woman, Latifa Salifu, arrested in connection with the stealing of a four-day-old baby boy, is to be arraigned before a court in Accra.
Salifu allegedly stole the baby boy from the postnatal ward of the Mamprobi Hospital in Accra.
The Dansoman Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service arrested the 33-year-old cloth seller in the early hours of yesterday at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital following swift investigations by the police and cooperation from the public and health authorities.
At a press conference in Dansoman yesterday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, Superintendent Juliana Obeng, said the police arrested Salifu on the premises of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital at about 3:40 a.m. yesterday.
At the time of her arrest, she was found in possession of a baby suspected to be the missing child.
Upon interrogation, the suspect claimed that she had delivered at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and was discharged due to a lack of available beds.
Supt Obeng said the police recovered the baby, who was later identified by his mother through a distinctive birthmark on the baby’s leg.
After the identification process, the baby was reunited with the mother and taken back to the hospital for medical assessment, observation and safekeeping.
Report
Supt Obeng said Salifu was currently in police custody, assisting with investigations.
Recounting the turn of events, Supt Obeng said the police received a report last Tuesday that an unidentified woman, who had disguised herself as a nurse, had taken a newborn baby from the hospital’s postnatal ward.
According to the baby’s mother, she had delivered the baby boy on February 14, 2026, at Mamprobi Hospital.
She stated that a woman dressed in a peach-coloured nurse’s uniform approached her, took the baby on the pretext of administering medication, and failed to return with the child.
After waiting for some time and realising that the baby had not been brought back, the matter was reported to hospital authorities and subsequently to the police.
Manhunt
Supt Obeng said following the report, the Dansoman Divisional Police Command immediately visited the hospital, obtained statements from the complainants and relevant hospital staff, and began investigations into the disappearance of the baby.
Supt Obeng indicated that CCTV footage, allegedly showing the suspect leaving the hospital with the baby, was being examined as part of the investigations, alongside other materials and evidence gathered so far.
Safety Measures
The Greater Accra Regional Police PRO reminded the public, particularly health facilities and families, to remain vigilant.
The police advised hospitals to enforce strict staff identification protocols, ensure that babies were released only after proper verification, install and monitor CCTV systems in maternity wards and other critical areas, maintain visitors’ logs, restrict access to postnatal wards, and promptly report any suspicious persons or activities.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh