Chesterville, KwaZulu-Natal – A two-week-old baby who was kidnapped in Durban has been safely recovered, and a 21-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the abduction, thanks to swift action by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).
The incident began on Sunday night when the RUSA Operations Center received a distress call at around 10:00 PM from Bongiwe Sindane, the mother of the kidnapped infant, Owami Lonathando Sindane. The desperate mother reported that her newborn had been abducted, prompting an immediate response and mobilization from RUSA.
Reaction Officers launched an intense search operation that spanned several provinces. Within just eleven hours, the team received 34 tips from concerned citizens across KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. Many reports involved sightings of women acting suspiciously or returning home with infants under questionable circumstances.
Early Monday morning, the search was zeroed in on the Chesterville area in KwaZulu-Natal. Intelligence indicated that the suspect was still in possession of the child and might be planning to flee the province. RUSA personnel quickly cordoned off all entrances and exits to the area. Meanwhile, aerial surveillance was conducted using the RUSA Helicopter to track the suspect based on a vague lead.
At approximately 9:15 AM on Monday, officers observed a woman acting suspiciously while carrying a newborn near the Westville Pavilion Shopping Centre. Upon questioning, she was found to be in possession of Baby Owami. The child was confirmed to be safe and unharmed.
The suspect was immediately taken into custody. Due to mounting public anger, she had to be removed from the area to prevent a possible mob attack. She is currently detained at the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) at SAPS Cato Manor.
During her interview with officers, the woman confessed to kidnapping the baby. She revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage on April 24, 2025, and subsequently met Bongiwe Sindane at a local clinic. Motivated by fear that her boyfriend would leave her if he discovered she had lost their baby, she devised a plan to abduct Bongiwe’s child.
After the kidnapping, the suspect went to her boyfriend’s residence in Chesterville and falsely claimed that the baby was his. She had not prepared any baby supplies and admitted to feeding the infant only water, having not purchased formula or infant milk.
Thanks to the dedication of RUSA and the vigilance of the public, Baby Owami has been reunited with her mother. Authorities are continuing their investigation and have commended the collaborative efforts that led to the child’s safe recovery and the suspect’s arrest.