A KwaZulu-Natal mother and her friend were expected to appear in the Durban magistrate's court on Friday after they allegedly hatched a fake kidnapping plot.
One of the women attempted to fool a man into believing she had given birth to his son and that the boy was kidnapped two months ago, said police.
Police spokesperson Col Thembeka Mbele detailed how the women travelled close to 300km to open a false case.
Mbele said on December 14 2019 both the women took a taxi from Hluhluwe, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, to Durban.
“The mother had a six-month-old baby with her and her friend had a one-year-old son. They planned the trip together in order to open a false case since the father was waiting to see his son for the first time,” she said.
Mbele said little did the man know the woman had duped him into believing she had given birth to his son.
“After they were dropped off by the taxi, they went their separate ways and the mother came to Durban Central to report her son being stolen by an unknown female.”
The woman stated under oath that she did not know the woman who took her son.
“Further investigation revealed the child who was reported stolen was not the victim's child. It was her friends son and the motive was to lie to the father.”
Mbele said an investigating officer went to Hluhluwe and found the child who was reported kidnapped was in the home of the woman's friend.
She said both women faced charges of defeating the ends of justice.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
