Police rescue newborn baby girl buried alive by mother

Police at Lunzu in Blantyre, Malawi, have rescued a newborn baby girl who was buried alive by her 21-year-old mother.

Chileka Police public relations officer, Sergeant Jonathan Phillipo, who confirmed the incident to TheCaveat.net yesterday identified the suspect as Olivia Jonas.

Sergeant Phillipo said the suspect was 8 months pregnant and during the night of August 1, 2023 at around 18:30 hours, the suspect gave birth to a baby girl by herself at home and buried the child at a nearby bush without notifying anyone around.

It is reported that when her husband arrived home from work, she lied to him that she had miscarried, and due to complications the suspect was experiencing, she was taken to Mlambe Hospital for some medication.

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Police say after being quizzed by nurses who were attending to her, Jonas claimed to have delivered a dead baby and buried her at a nearby bush within her vicinity.

Immediately after receiving the report from Mlambe Hospital officials, police officers from Lunzu Police Unit rushed to the hospital where they interviewed the suspect who revealed that she buried the child after giving birth.

Later, the suspect led police officers and medical officers from Kadidi Health Centre to the scene where she buried the child and the place was exhumed and it was discovered that the baby was still alive and healthy.

Meanwhile, the suspect who is expected to answer charges of concealing the birth of a child, is admitted to Mlambe Hospital where she is receiving medical treatment.

Olivia Jonas hails from Mjamba Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre District.