The Fiji Police Force has brushed aside claims circulating on social media that its officers had sought traditional reconciliation in a case of a newborn baby who was taken from the CWM hospital without the mother’s knowledge last week.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime ACP/C Sakeo Raikaci said the report of the missing infant was received at the Totogo Police Station.
“Initial information gathered was that she had left her baby with a medical official and a person known to the family, who was visiting, to take care of some personal matters nearby,” ACP/C Raikaci said in a statement.
“When she returned, she found her baby and visitor missing, and assumed that her child was taken by the medical official for a check-up. After a while, she asked around for her baby and discovered that her child was no longer on hospital premises,” he added.
ACP/C Raikaci said she suspected the family friend of taking her child and officers deployed to the suspect’s home found the baby there.
He said officers made no attempt to reconcile the matter “as they were acting on the wishes of the family who did not wish to pursue the matter at that particular time, considering her health status and the traumatic experience she had just gone through”.
“CID officers from Totogo liaised with the family again where they were advised that they were now ready to pursue the matter further.”
He said CID officers were recording statements from the family in relation to the incident.
Investigations are ongoing.
