Woman charged with stealing child from Good Samaritan who gave her shelter

Suspect in court

Suspected child thief Belinda Indeche in the dock at the Makadara Magistrate's Court. 

Photo credit: JOSEPH NDUNDA| Nation Media Group

A 23-year-old woman who allegedly stole a two-month-old baby from a good samaritan who offered her shelter after she was allegedly thrown out by her husband has been charged with child abduction.

Belinda Indeche was on Wednesday presented before Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi of the Makadara Law Courts where she was accused of abducting the child with intent to steal her from her mother contrary to Section 262 of the Penal Code.

She is accused of abducting the child on October 14 in Mwiki township, Kasarani Sub County, Nairobi, before she was traced and found.

The suspect also faces charges of theft where she is alleged to have stolen a mobile phone valued at Sh34,000 from her host.

The abducted child's mother had offered to put the suspect up for the night after she met the suspect on her way from work.

At 4am the next morning, the woman woke up to find her child, who had been sleeping next to her, missing and the door to her house wide open.

The police said investigations revealed that the suspect had left the stollen phone at a wine and spirits shop in the area because she was allegedly unable to pay her bill after having drinks there.

The suspect was traced to her home where she was allegedly found with the child and the stollen phone.

She had shaved the child's hair in what police believe was an attempt to conceal her identity.

The suspect denied the charges and, through lawyer Eunice Katila, sought lenient bail conditions, claiming she was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

She was released on a Sh300,000 bond with no option for cash bail.

The matter will come up on November 21 when the court receives the suspect's probation report.