A 33-year-old trader accused of stealing a four-day-old baby from the Mamprobi Polyclinic has been remanded into custody by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit Court in Accra.
Latifa Salifu, a mother of two, was charged with one count of child stealing when she appeared before the court presided over by K. K. Obiri Yeboah. Her plea was not taken because investigations are ongoing.
Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, leading the prosecution, asked the court to remand the accused to allow police to complete investigations.
“We want the accused to be remanded to allow us to complete our investigations,” he told the court.
Bail opposed
Counsel for the accused, Hamisu Muhammad, pleaded for bail, arguing that Salifu was not a flight risk and had no prior criminal record.
“My client will not interfere with investigations and does not have the resources to abscond,” he submitted, adding that sureties were available.
However, the prosecution opposed the application, saying police suspected the alleged crime may have been orchestrated by a wider syndicate.
“There is no sense that the accused, who already has children, would go to the hospital to steal a baby boy,” the prosecutor argued, insisting remand would aid investigations.
The court sided with the prosecution and ordered Salifu to remain in custody. She is expected to reappear on March 4, 2026.
How it happened
According to the prosecution, the baby’s mother delivered through a caesarean section on February 14. The infant was later referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
On February 17, while the mother was recovering in the ward, a woman dressed in a peach-coloured scrub uniform allegedly posed as a nurse, inspected the baby and left.
Later that afternoon, at about 4 p.m., the same woman reportedly returned under the pretext of administering medication to the newborn and took the baby away.
About 10 minutes later, a nurse on duty enquired about the child, but the mother said the woman had already taken the baby. A search of the hospital premises proved unsuccessful.
The incident was reported to the Mamprobi Police Station.
Arrest
The following day, February 18, a whistleblower alerted the Dansoman Police that the suspect had been seen with the baby at Korle Bu.
Police patrol officers arrested Salifu and retrieved the child.
In her cautioned statement, the prosecution said, the accused allegedly admitted picking up the baby under the pretext of administering medicine and fleeing with the child.
The baby has since been rescued, while investigations continue to determine whether others were involved.
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