Nana Akosua Bowaa has admitted that her mistake last Friday led to the stealing of her one-year-old son by a middle-aged woman at the Takoradi Market Circle.
She, however, appealed to the police and the public to assist her to trace the son.
Michael Ahiabenu, father of the missing child, told journalists in Takoradi yesterday that his wife mistakenly handed over the kids to the suspect who bolted with the toddler.
Mr. Ahiabenu said that the news about the incident reached him at about 6:15pm last Friday and had to rush to the Market Circle Police Station in Takoradi to make enquiries.
“When I got there, a CID was interviewing her and when I questioned my wife, she said ‘I have made a mistake but I will tell you,’ but I told her to rather tell the CID about the incident,” he said.
“I am a man but it hasn’t been easy. For the past two days, I have not slept. We have not wronged anyone, so I don’t know why someone will do this to us,” he said meekly.
Massive Manhunt
The Takoradi Police have already launched a manhunt for the middle-aged woman who allegedly stole the baby.
The incident happened at about 4:30pm in front of the Market Circle Post Office in Takoradi.
The mother, a resident of Amanful in Takoradi, who is a petty trader at the Market Circle, was approached by the suspect.
The suspect approached Akosua Bowaa, whose two children were crying at the time.
The suspect, who initially posed as a customer, reportedly asked the mother to allow her handle the two kids to enable her to serve the customers better. She later posed as a trader in the market.
Having realised that the children had Ewe names, the culprit told their mother that she was also an Ewe.
Police sources say when the suspect realised that the mother was busily selling, she moved the kids to a nearby pastries seller under the guise of buying some for them.
The older boy started crying so the suspect gave him back to the mother and told the women that she would bring the other kid who was with the vendor.
The suspect picked the one-year-old boy, who was calm at the time and bolted.
The mother, who sensed danger, later raised the alarm but all efforts to trace the boy proved futile.
Fortunately, a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera of some banks in the area captured the unidentified woman, who was cuddling the baby as she moved away from the market.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi