October 17, 2023
NAIROBI, Kenya | In a distressing incident that unfolded in Mwiki township, Kasarani Sub County, Nairobi, a 23-year-old woman, Belinda Indeche, has been charged with child abduction after allegedly stealing a two-month-old baby. The child abduction occurred after a Good Samaritan offered shelter to the accused woman who claimed to have been thrown out by her husband.
Belinda Indeche was brought before Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi of the Makadara Law Courts to face charges of child abduction with the intent to separate the child from her mother, a violation of Section 262 of the Penal Code.
The incident transpired on October 14 when the accused allegedly abducted the child while staying with the child’s mother, who had kindly provided her shelter after they crossed paths on the way home from work. In a horrifying turn of events, the mother awoke at 4 am to find her child missing and her home’s door wide open.
Subsequent investigations unveiled a series of events that led to the accused’s arrest. Belinda Indeche not only faced child abduction charges but also theft charges for allegedly stealing a mobile phone valued at Sh34,000 from her host during her stay.
The police inquiry traced the stolen phone to a local wine and spirits shop, where the suspect had left it, unable to cover her bill after consuming drinks. The child and the stolen phone were ultimately discovered at the suspect’s residence. To further complicate the case, the accused had shaved the child’s hair, presumably in an attempt to conceal the child’s identity.
Despite the weight of evidence, Belinda Indeche denied the charges and, through her lawyer Eunice Katila, pleaded for lenient bail conditions, asserting that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident. Court granted the accused a Sh300,000 bond with no cash bail option. The case is scheduled to reconvene on November 21, pending the court’s receipt of the suspect’s probation report.
