8-years behind bars for stealing a baby

Sunday 07 March 2021, 13:45pm/ Rethabile Mohapi

Baby feet: image supplied(This image is used for illustration purposes)

Welkom: Court sentenced a woman eight years behind bars, for stealing a baby in Lesotho and fleeing to South Africa.

It is reported that 44 year old Lesotho National, Mamoshebi Priscilla Morotolihe fled to Welkom, Free State after she stole the baby from her biological mother.

After Police investigations were completed, the mother of the child was brought from Lesotho to South Africa, where she positively identified the stolen baby as hers and Mototohile as the thief.

Morotolihe was then arrested and charged with human trafficking.

According to Free State Hawks spokesperson, Captain Christopher Singo , the child was stolen in Lesotho in November 2019.

Singo said the mother of the baby girl had taken the then 6-week-old infant to hospital for a check up, when she met Morotohile.

However Singo told the publication that, the two women did not know each other and Morotohile told the mother, that she had some clothes she wanted to give the baby.

“They went out together to buy some of the items and the mother gave the accused the child to hold, while she entered the shop.

“When she (the mother) came out of the shop, Morotohile was nowhere to be found. ”She then ran to South Africa with the child.“

Singo said Morotohile went with the child to Welkom, and Later, when suspicious arose that the child was not hers police were called.

“She was questioned by the authorities and she couldn’t give details or account for the child or provide her documents

“Our investigators checked with the Lesotho government and found out that there was child who was stolen there.

“The mother of the child was called to give description of her child which the investigator found to be satisfactory. She was then brought to South Africa to confirm if the child was hers and also to identify the accused.

“An identity parade was conducted and she indeed successfully identified Morotohile as the person who stole her child. Morotohile was arrested on Thursday November 28 2019.“

Meanwhile the baby girl was taken back to her biological mother in Lesotho and Morotohile was kept in custody, throughout the trial until she was sentenced with an 8-year prison term last week.