A 26-year-old woman from Melmoth in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa has been charged with perjury after allegedly fabricating the kidnapping of a non-existent baby, prompting a large-scale police search.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the woman claimed her three-month-old child had been snatched by three men in the KwaMagwaza area on 13 September 2025.
Police said a search team comprising various law enforcement units was immediately deployed to locate the child.
“After several hours of extensive search, it came to light that the woman had lied about the kidnapping, and that she never gave birth to a baby. Police found that the woman had lied to her boyfriend and his family that she was pregnant and had given birth. The same woman had told her own family that she had had a miscarriage,” says Netshiunda.
She was arrested and is expected to appear in the Melmoth Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, September 16.
Netshiunda said the incident has raised serious concerns about the misuse of police resources.
“This is the second perjury case this month involving false claims of serious crimes,” Netshiunda said.
Police have urged the public to refrain from opening false cases, particularly those involving violence against women and children.
“Reporting a false case is a criminal offence. The time spent investigating imaginary crimes could be better used to assist real victims,” Netshiunda added.
