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Newborn kidnapped from Mpumalanga hospital

Johannesburg - A newborn baby has been kidnapped from the Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mpumalanga, the provincial health department said on Monday.

A woman walked into the hospital's maternity ward on Saturday around 14:00 claiming she had come to visit her sister-in-law, spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said.

She allegedly told the patient she had come to the hospital with the woman's mother, but that the mother was in a different part of the hospital.

She asked the patient if she could take the child to its grandmother. The patient allegedly agreed.

When hospital staff asked the patient where the child was, she told them her sister-in-law had taken the baby to show it to the grandmother.

"When staff tried looking for her, she could not be found. They then alerted police," Malamule said.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala confirmed a kidnapping docket was opened on Sunday morning. He said the child had not yet been found.

Malamule said it was unclear how the woman managed to leave to hospital with the baby without the required identification documents.

The patient was still at the hospital receiving counselling.

Malamule said it appeared that the woman was not a relative after all and was still at large.

"We would like to warn all mothers giving birth not to trust any strangers to handle their babies. This is how they get lost."

The matter was being investigated.

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