WESTERN BUREAU:

A 26-year-old female bartender and her common-law husband were taken into custody by the police in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday after a three-week-old baby girl who was kidnapped from her mother on Friday was discovered at their home in the Norwood community.

The police say the identities of both accused are being withheld pending further investigations.

Reports by the Freeport police are that about 11 a.m. yesterday, a team of officers attached to the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) got intelligence that the three-week-old baby girl, who was taken from the parking lot of the Cornwall Regional Hospital, was at a house in the Norwood community.

The police acted swiftly and carried out an operation at a section of the Norwood community known as the Greens district, where they found the accused female in possession of the kidnapped child.

Her common-law husband, who was also at the house, was also arrested on charges of conspiracy to kidnap.

Up to press time, the baby girl was being medically examined.

The St James police commended the swift response of the citizens in the Norwood community for recognising the photograph of the suspect and alerting them.

Reports are that shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday, the mother of the child was at the Cornwall Regional Hospital for an appointment when she was allegedly befriended by the suspect, who was wearing a wig and a multicoloured dress. About 1:50 p.m., they both left the pharmacy at the hospital and ventured into the parking lot.

The child's mother reportedly left the baby in the care of the suspect to use the restroom, and upon her return, neither her child nor the woman was seen. She immediately made a report at the Mount Salem police station, and an investigation commenced.