A mum has begged for the safe return of her nine-day-old son after he was snatched at a shopping centre in Cape Town.
Imaan Sharmar, 25, believes the woman responsible had targeted her before little Mogamat Imaad Sharmar was even born, posing as a community sponsor helping new mothers.
She explained how the woman, who gained her trust during a home visit weeks earlier, accompanied her and Mogamat to Middestad Mall, in Bellville, on June 28 where they got something to eat.
But during the meal she had to rush into the toilets to be sick, leaving Imaan with the woman. When she came back, they had both vanished.
Speaking to the Cape Argus through tears, Imaan said: ‘It does not feel right not having him here. The day I gave birth, that was when my whole life was complete
‘I don’t know what her intentions were and what she was doing with him in these three days, it has been driving me crazy, I do not know if he drank anything, or what he has been given to drink.
‘Does he have clothing on? is his nappy being changed? Is she hurting him? My mind is running so far away from me, my body is filled with anger.
‘Whatever your name is, I don’t know if the name you gave me, if it is your real name, please, if you want to do it anonymously, drop him off somewhere safe, with warm clothes on, wrap him in his three blankets, leave him, tip us off where he is.
‘I am literally at the point of begging – whoever you are working with, bring him back, he is only a week old, he needs my milk, he needs to be home.’
The woman reportedly gave the name ‘Chivon’ and pretended to be a community sponsor from The Zoe Project, a well-established NGO.
Tracey Aitken, the Project’s founder, told News24 her organisation had no knowledge of Imaan nor had any dealings with her.
Missing children organisations said the case was worryingly similar to other recent kidnappings.
Those include the abduction of two-month-old Kai-isha Meniers outside a supermarket in 2022.
Bianca Van Aswegen, national co-ordinator for Missing Children SA said: ‘Similarities to this case is quite scary.
‘I am thinking is this a new trend, is it linked to illegal adoptions, what is the motive behind these types of crimes, especially people pretending to be a sponsor in the new case or a social worker, to get access to these babies, it might lead to illegal adoptions.’
Candice van der Rheede, of Western Cape Missing Children, added: ‘We need to start urging people to also stop posting their personal information on social media.’
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said officers were following up on all leads in baby Imaad’s case.
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