POLICE in the Free State have arrested a 46-year-old woman on charges of defeating the ends of justice and perjury after opening a false kidnapping case in Thabong.

This comes after a Facebook friendship led to an arrangement to exchange a newborn baby at birth took a dramatic turn when the 24-year-old biological mother of the child reclaimed her child two years later.

Provincial police spokesperson Captain Loraine Earle said after the friendship had soured between the women, the suspect, who had been raising the child, then falsely reported the kidnapping case at the Thabong police station.

“On March 9, 2025, the Bultfontein woman reported at the Thabong police station that ‘her child’, a two-year-old boy, had been kidnapped in Thabong.

“In response, a crime scene investigation was conducted on March 10, 2025, by senior officers, along with members of Thabong Detectives, FCS, Thabong Vispol, K9 Unit, and LCRC, to document the scene where the alleged kidnapping had occurred. However, no evidence of a kidnapping was found,” Captain Earle said.

She said further investigation into the matter revealed that the biological mother had collected the child on March 9 at approximately 9.30am from the Bultfontein woman.

“The child is currently in the care of Puthaditjhaba Social Services,” Captain Earle said.

The Thabong FCS arrested the woman for defeating the ends of justice and perjury.

“Investigators also determined that the biological mother gave birth to the child two years ago in Bloemfontein but handed the newborn over to the Bultfontein woman shortly after birth. The biological mother then fraudulently registered the child at Home Affairs using the Bultfontein woman's identity document,” Captain Earle said.

She said as a result of the new information, additional charges of fraud and human trafficking will be brought against both the biological mother and the Bultfontein woman.

The investigation continues.

IOL