Bloemfontein - A woman has been arrested after a baby girl was found abandoned in a rubbish bin in Bloemfontein city centre, police said on Thursday.
Captain Chaka Marope said the find was made by a member of the public, who said he heard a baby cry while walking on Hoffman Square on Wednesday afternoon.
“Out of curiosity he went to investigate and found a one-day-old baby girl dumped in a rubbish box.” The baby was wrapped in a blanket and was warmly dressed.
Marope said the police and paramedics were alerted and they found the baby alive, but dehydrated.
The child was taken to Pelonomi hospital for medical treatment. The woman was arrested on Thursday morning.
Marope said investigators traced the mother with the help of a social worker at Pelonomi hospital.
Records showed that the child was discharged from the hospital the morning before the mother was arrested.
Marope said the 22-year-old woman would appear soon in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges of attempted murder and child abandonment. - Sapa