A woman has been charged with kidnapping and theft after she allegedly abducted her employer’s 20-month-old child and drove away with their BMW 328i.
Kimberly Ncube, 19, got a job as a maid in a family’s home in the Paddonhurst suburb, in the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Saturday, 29th October.
But two days later she allegedly abducted the family’s one-year-old child and drove off to an unknown direction with their BMW 328i.
The incident reportedly happened after the family members headed to work on Monday, 31st October.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) who have since arrested her and recovered the child launched a manhunt and appealed for information immediately after the family reported the boy’s disappearance.
Deputy spokesperson in Bulawayo Province and Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said: “Police in Bulawayo are looking for Kimberly Ncube, a female adult aged 19, she was employed as a maid in Paddonhurst in Bulawayo.
“She was left alone looking after her employer’s one-year eight-month-old son.
“She took advantage of her employer’s absence who had gone to work, and she stole her white BMW 328i, registration number AEA8833 which was parked in the garage.”
Msebele added: “She also took the motor vehicle’s documents and also kidnapped the one-year eight-month-old son and disappeared with him.
“We suspect that she was assisted by her boyfriend.”
Latter investigations revealed that Ncube was a commercial sex worker operating at two different spots in the city.
Prior to her arrest she was reportedly racing around one neighbourhood with the stolen vehicle and had nearly crashed next to a nearby shopping centre.
A police source told local media: “The accused went around the city visiting friends in Cowdray Park, Njube and Nketa to show off she was now successful and driving a BMW.
“Also, she claims that she wanted to go to her rural home to show her parents that she had made it in life.”
Residents from the Iminyela suburb spotted her and the toddler boy outside a house after the BMW 318i ran out of fuel on Tuesday, 1st November.
A source who remained unidentified stated: “She had been calling her boyfriends and friends for fuel money.
“She had no intention to go back because she knew that her employers were looking for her.”
Ncube was arrested and detained the same day as concerned eyewitnesses recognised her and alerted the police they saw her.
She was charged with kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle, Msebele said.
The one-year-old child was taken back to his family following Ncube’s arrest.
In addition, the BMW 328i was also handed back to its rightful owners.
The investigation continues.
