Little Sofia was just 24-hours-old when she was kidnapped from the Sacro Cuore clinic in Cosenza, southern Italy – a man and a woman have been arrested over the incident
Italy: CCTV shows couple kidnapping baby from hospital
This is the chilling moment a couple snatch a newborn from the maternity ward of a hospital, leaving the baby’s family terrified.
Little Sofia was abducted from the Sacro Cuore clinic in Cosenza, a city in Calabria, southern Italy, at around 6.30pm on Tuesday – just 24 hours after she was born. Police said the kidnappers, alleged to be 51-year-old Rosa Vespa, from Cosenza, and 43-year-old Aqua Moses, from Senegal, were found and arrested around three hours after leaving the private clinic with the baby.
The newborn girl was safely recovered. The clinic said Vespa and Moses accessed the medical facility by claiming they were relatives visiting a newborn baby.
Witnesses told the Italian authorities that once at the clinic, the woman had pretended to be a paediatric nurse and had told the girl’s mum that she needed to bring the baby to the paediatrics ward for a check-up. However, it was all a ruse to snatch Sofia and flee the hospital, police said.
CCTV footage from the clinic shows the woman, holding the baby, as she approaches a carrycot placed in the corridor. At one point, her male accomplice, wearing a cap, steps in to help her place the baby inside the cot – but the pair don’t manage to do it.
The woman can be seen walking out with the baby in her arms while the man follows her, with the carrycot. According to Italian news agency Ansa, the pair then drove away with Sofia in their car. The alarm was raised shortly after by Sofia’s mum and her grandmother, who became concerned as the newborn had not returned to their hospital room.
Police launched a major operation and shortly after, officers found the baby in the car with the kidnappers in the outskirts of Cosenza, before the driver could get on the highway.
The newborn was safely recovered and brought back to her parents at the clinic, while the two suspects were arrested. Later in the evening, Sofia was then transferred to Cosenza Hospital to undergo medical checks.
Italian police said Vespa had told her friends and neighbours that she was pregnant and had hatched a plan to snatch a baby with Moses. Just days before kidnapping Sofia, the woman had published a post on Facebook to announce she had given birth to a baby boy called Ansel.
On January 8, the woman had written on the social media platform: “After a long wait, our miracle has arrived. At 8pm today, Ansel was born. Mum and dad love you!” Alongside the post, she had also added a photo showing the arm of a baby.
Some relatives had congratulated the couple, including Vespa’s sister who had written the following day: “Well yes, my little nephew was born and he is as beautiful as the sun. Congratulations to mom and dad, have a good life little Ansel.”
After allegedly kidnapping Sofia, the married couple are said to have changed her pink dress with a light blue outfit. When police arrived at the couple’s home, they found the property decorated for a party – allegedly the birth of the baby boy Vespa had pretended to be pregnant with.
