"Mother's Worst Nightmare: Baby Stolen in Bulawayo After WhatsApp Scam"

A mother's trust in a stranger's online generosity has turned into a parent's worst nightmare after her four-month-old baby was stolen from a family home in Bulawayo following an elaborate WhatsApp scam. The incident occurred on December 29 in the New Parklands suburb.

The 26-year-old mother had joined a WhatsApp channel called Idale Labomama (Mothers' Haven) about four months earlier. She responded to a message inviting those in need of children's clothing to contact a provided number. The suspect, posing as "MaNdlovu" from Cowdray Park, offered to deliver the clothes directly to the mother's residence.

The mother was instructed to wait at a street corner near her home to receive the clothes, and while she was away, the baby was stolen from the bedroom. The police were immediately notified, and a full investigation was launched. The suspect is still at large, and efforts to locate the stolen baby are ongoing