A two-month-old baby who was kidnapped last week in Umzinto, KwaZulu-Natal, is back home in the arms of her 28-year-old mother.
Police discovered the child after they were led to a house in Turton by a 21-year-old suspect.
"A 21-year-old learner was arrested this morning at about 11:00 at a school in Qwabe Ward in Msinsini by the investigative team of the Umzinto SAPS. The suspect led them to a house in Turton where the baby, Sbahle Vapi, was found," Colonel Thembeka Mbele said in a statement on Monday.
The baby's mother said her daughter had gone missing last week after she took pity on a woman who approached her at Umzinto taxi rank, Mbhele said.
"The woman called her aside and explained that she was the victim of abuse and was destitute with no place to stay," she said.
"The baby's mother decided to help the stranger and took her to her home in the NPA informal settlement in Umzinto. At approximately 20:00, the woman complained of a headache and asked her host to get some painkillers from her neighbours."
Leaving her baby behind, the mother went to get the painkillers and returned a short while later to discover that the woman had disappeared with the baby.
The baby was found in good health and was taken to the hospital for medical assessment. She was later released to her mother.
The suspect will appear at the Umzinto Magistrate's Court on charges of kidnapping.