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Woman arrested after allegedly travelling with two-year-old in suitcase in New Zealand | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Police say 27-year-old charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child after bus driver spotted a bag moving | Police say 27-year-old charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child after bus driver spotted a bag moving |
A New Zealand woman has been arrested after a bus driver discovered a toddler stowed in a suitcase within the luggage compartment. | |
Police were called to a bus depot in Kaiwaka, 60 miles (100km) north of Auckland, after the bus driver became concerned about a bag moving during a scheduled stop. | Police were called to a bus depot in Kaiwaka, 60 miles (100km) north of Auckland, after the bus driver became concerned about a bag moving during a scheduled stop. |
“When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the two-year-old girl,” DI Simon Harrison said. “The little girl was reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed.” | |
The luggage had been stored beneath the bus passengers, in a separate compartment. | The luggage had been stored beneath the bus passengers, in a separate compartment. |
The girl was in hospital undergoing an extensive medical assessment, Harrison said. He added that the driver prevented “what could have been a far worse outcome”. | |
“We would like to acknowledge and commend the bus driver, who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action,” Harrison said. | |
Harrison said a 27-year-old woman had been charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child. | |
Further charges were possible, he said. New Zealand’s ministry for children, Oranga Tamariki, has been notified. | |
In a statement to the Guardian, the bus company, Intercity, said it was aware of an incident involving a passenger on one of its services. | |
“Police were called to respond, and they are now investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident and the service resumed,” a spokesperson said. | |
As it was now an active police investigation, the company was unable to comment further. |