A 16-year-old girl from Murehwa and her mother have been accused of selling the girl’s newborn baby for US$180. They appeared in court alongside their co-accused, Dion Tore (34), who allegedly bought the child. While the teenager was placed under Social Welfare custody, her mother and Tore are set to finalize their bail applications.
Prosecutors said the mother connected with Tore through a WhatsApp group in January and told her about her daughter’s pregnancy. Tore, who had experienced miscarriages, offered to adopt the baby. In February, Tore met the teenager in Harare, arranged a medical check-up, and allegedly induced premature labour at Sally Mugabe Hospital with the help of an unidentified nurse.
The baby was born on February 25 and handed over to Tore on March 5, with a fake death record created to hide the sale. The mother reportedly received US$180 in payments via EcoCash. The child, now nine months old, was found after police received a tip-off, leading to the trio’s arrest.
