Police in Kabwe have launched a man hunt for a 20-year-old woman who allegedly dumped a baby in a septic tank after giving birth.

Central Province Police Commissioner Chola Katanga said police received a report from Barnabas Mulenga, a plumber for Lukanga Water and Sewerage Company that whilst unblocking the sewer line in Kasanda mine compound, he found a dead female baby wrapped in a blue plastic bag suspected to have been dumped after birth.

Katanga said no arrests had been made but that the suspect, Emmy Mwami, of Kasanda house number M/7 had fled to an unknown place.

“We received a case of infanticide at around 9:30 hours on Tuesday 12, March at house number M/6 Kasanda Compound where Male, Barnabas Mulenga was unblocking the sewer. The actual time when the baby was dumped is yet to be ascertained. However, the suspect who stays at the next house, Number M/7, has since fled to an unknown place. The dead baby has been deposited to Kabwe Central Hospital mortuary awaiting post-mortem,” Katanga said.

And in a separate interview, an eye witness, Loveness Waluchupa, narrated that the owner of house number M/6 reported to the Water utility Company of a sewer blockage and was shocked when a dead body was vacuumed out of the septic tank.

Waluchupa said when community members came to see the dead body, the mother to Emmy who stays next door inconspicuously whisked the dead body away and was caught at a nearby dumpsite trying to hide the dead body from community members.

“We were shocked when we noticed that the dead body was missing. When we started searching around, we found a woman across the road with a sack tied at the top. As community members, we forced her to untie the sack and found that it was the same dead body that had gone missing,” said Waluchupa.

Meanwhile, area Councillor William Kasusu has expressed disappointment at the behaviour of the suspect who he said the community knew was about 8 months pregnant.

Kasusu, however, praised Kasanda Mine compound residents for exercising restraint and not effecting mob justice on Emmy’s mother.

“All the neighbours knew that Emmy was pregnant and it is not surprising that she has run away. This is very sad especially that today is Youth Day; a time when the nation is celebrating the positive strides made by youths in national development. I would, however, like to thank the community for not exercising mob justice on Emmy’s mother when they caught her trying to get rid of the baby,” said Kasusu.