Baby thief grabbed

A 43-year-old trader, Emma Ankrah, who allegedly stole the newborn baby of her employee under the pretext of sending the baby to Social Welfare Department, has landed in court.

The accused person took the baby from its teenage mother and later told the mother that her baby had died, but created suspicion when she said she was pregnant and expecting the following week. She was put before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Sedina Agbemava and charged with stealing.

She pleaded not guilty to the offence and has been granted bail in the sum of GHc2000 with one surety while the case has been adjourned to October 9, 2013.

ASP Sarah Acquah, who presented the facts of the case, said the complainant is Dorcas Doku a 19-year old employee of the accused person and stays at Abokobi.

She said the complainant was employed by the accused person as a shop attendant and was two months pregnant at that time.

According to her, Emma detected that the complainant was pregnant so she took her to the hospital and continued to support her financially.

Furthermore, she said that Emma sent Dorcas to live with a friend called Janet when she was about to give birth but she continued to take care of her.

Explaining further, she noted that the complainant gave birth to a baby girl at Felidan Maternity Home at Chokor on July 18, 2013 and when the accused person visited her, she said she had no means to cater for the baby.

In addition, she said the accused person told the teenager to send the baby to Social Welfare Department and she consequently gave the baby to her to send to the department.

The prosecutor noted that Emma, after a week, told teenage mother that her baby had died at Social Welfare but created suspicion when she told Dorcas that she was pregnant and would be due in a week’s time.

The police officer said the teenage mother informed her brother who advised her to report the matter to Dansoman Police, which she obliged.

She stated that when the accused person was arrested she maintained that the baby had died but later changed her story and said the baby was alive and consequently produced the baby after the police ordered her to do so. The ASP observed that the teenage mother identified the baby as hers. Her baby was given to her while the accused was arraigned.