Ex-Cop & MSU Student Kidnap Gweru Baby
The couple is charged with snatching a two-month-old baby from its mother
Ex-Cop & MSU Student Kidnap Gweru Baby
A Midlands State University (MSU) student and her former top cop husband have been arrested for kidnapping.
The couple is charged with snatching a two-month-old baby from its mother, whom they had offered a lift to from the hospital to the town.
Sakhile Tanyanyiwa (34), a student at Midlands State University, and her husband, 59-year-old Mekia Tanyanyiwa, a retired Zimbabwe Republic Police commissioner who now works for himself are being charged with kidnapping as defined in Section 93(1) (b) (i) (ii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
The 31-year-old mother of the infant, whose identity remains protected, reported the incident to the authorities.
According to the police report, the informant in this case is a 31-year-old mother, who is also the complainant.
On March 8, 2024, she took her daughter (whose identity is being protected) to the hospital to obtain her birth record.
After being served, the mother returned to the hospital’s main gate, hoping to find transport to the Gweru Central Business District.
It was at this point that Sakhile approached her in a Toyota Aqua and offered her a ride.
Also read: Bulawayo Girl (9) Jumps Out of Kidnapper's Car
Once inside the vehicle, the mother discovered two other women whom she hadn’t noticed before.
Ex-Cop & MSU Student Kidnap Gweru Baby
One was seated in the front passenger’s seat, while the other was in the back seat on the right side.
Sakhile was driving, and another lady, identified as Loreen, sat on the left side of the back seat.
The woman in the front passenger’s seat was holding a baby wrapped in nappies and appeared to be in distress as if she had recently given birth.
During the drive to town, Sakhile informed the mother that she needed to stop in Southview to drop off her sister before continuing the journey.
The vehicle parked by a gate at an unknown address in Southview, and Sakhile requested the mother’s assistance with the woman who was holding the newborn.
The mother placed her child on the seat and exited the vehicle to offer help as requested.
However, as soon as she stepped out, the car abruptly sped off towards the Gweru to Bulawayo road, taking the two-month-old baby and the mother’s belongings, including an Itel A56 cellphone.
The mother cried out and a male bystander managed to note down the vehicle’s registration number.
He promptly reported the incident to the ZRP Gweru Central.
Following a police investigation, it was revealed that the vehicle, registered in Glandina Nhamo’s name, had changed ownership multiple times before ending up with Mekia, who was found in possession of the abducted baby.
