Story by Tamuka Charakupa
A THREE-month-old baby from Banket has gone missing in a suspected luring incident after the child’s mother was allegedly tricked into leaving home by an unidentified woman on Sunday evening.
Police have launched an investigation into the disappearance, which has left the family and residents of Banket shaken.
The infant vanished from a house along Magamba Way after the child’s mother was reportedly approached by a woman who falsely claimed that her husband was in the company of another woman in a nearby residential area.
According to the family, the mother left her three-year-old child and three-month-old daughter asleep at home shortly after 7pm and accompanied the woman to verify the claims.
The search proved fruitless, and she later went to her husband’s workplace, where he was finishing his shift.
The child’s father, Mr Time Kamunga (34) said the couple returned home together only to discover that the baby had disappeared.
“My wife told me that an unknown woman had informed her that I was with another woman at Labana Houses, prompting her to leave our three-month-old baby and three-year-old child asleep at home while she went to verify the information,” he said.
“She failed to find me and later came to my workplace, where I was knocking off duty. When we returned home together, we discovered that our three-month-old baby was missing. We searched the area with neighbours but could not find the child before reporting the matter to the police.”
A frantic search involving neighbours continued late into the night, but the infant had still not been located by Tuesday.
Despite the ordeal, the family says it remains hopeful.
“We are doing everything we can think of to locate our baby. We have resolved not to lose hope but to remain strong and pray that our baby is alive and will return home safely,” said Mr Kamunga.
The disappearance has stunned relatives and members of the local community, many describing it as an unprecedented incident.
“This is a difficult time for us as a family. We have never encountered such a situation before. We suspect the woman may be a local resident who knew details about our family,” said a relative, Mr Luke Kamunga.
A neighbour, Mrs Lorraine Kanombirambirira said the circumstances surrounding the incident appeared suspicious.
“The incident appeared targeted. The woman seemed to know exactly where she intended to go unnoticed. We heard nothing unusual and assisted in the search until 1am,” she said.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has confirmed the case.
Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Ian Kohwera, said investigations are underway.
The family has appealed to anyone with information that could assist in locating the child to contact them on 0783 584 573 or 0779 583 877, or report to the nearest police station.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the infant’s disappearance.
