A 29-year-old Nigerian woman has been arrested by the Osu police for allegedly stealing an a-one-and-a-half-year-old baby girl from her mother.

Suspect Fatima Gibril, who claimed she had been in the country for only a day, allegedly attempted to escape with the child, but with the intervention of some neighbours, she was grabbed.

Suspect, according to neighbours, lured the child with toffee after pretending to be playing with her in the presence of the mother, who at that point was busily attending to other customers at her drinking spot.

Confirming the story to DAILY GUIDE, ASP Richard Daplah, Osu District Crime Officer, said the incident occurred at about 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.

Mother of the victim, Joyce Owusua, 40 years, operates a drinking spot along the beach at Osu and Fatima is a regular customer.

Information received indicated that Tuesday afternoon, Fatima visited the drinking spot to buy two tots of Castle Bridge Dry Gin and sat down to drink.

While taking a sip of the liquor, Fatima reportedly started to play with the little girl, who was roaming in the bar, while her mother was busily serving other customers.

ASP Daplah said about 20 minutes later, a neighbour – who is a witness in the case – spotted Fatima carrying the girl in her arms and walking briskly away from the drinking spot and questioned her.

The neighbour at that moment became suspicious and ordered the woman not to move a centimetre while the mother of the child was called to the scene.

It was after Owusua had been called to the scene that she discovered that her daughter was not in the bar.

The police were later informed and a team of personnel were dispatched to rescue the suspect from the hands of the neighbours who had attempted to assault her.

ASP Daplah said the neighbours got agitated since there had been reports of missing children in the area recently.

“Just the beginning of this new year, there have been two cases of missing children at the station,” a source told this paper.

Fatima, the police boss claimed, was brought to the station and upon interrogation, she admitted stealing the baby but added that she did not know what came over her to steal the child.

She is in police custody but the child has been handed over to her mother.

The suspect is expected to appear in court today.