An 18-year-old mother in Lira City has been arrested by the police for allegedly burying her newborn baby soon after giving birth.
On Monday, Moses Opio, a 48-year-old resident of Abedpiny cell in Lira City East Division, reported to the local authorities that Mirriam Angom, an 18-year-old resident of Bar-Kea village in Ogor Sub County, Otuke district, had delivered a baby girl and buried her alive in a shallow pit in Lira City.
Click here to join our WhatsApp group and receive daily news
Upon receiving this information, local leaders and community members launched a rescue operation for the baby, who was born in the early hours of Monday morning.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the mother had recently moved from Kirombe Cell in Lira City, where she had been living in a rented house, to Abedpiny cell in Lira City.
Also Read: Joint UPDF-FARDC Operation Takes Down Senior ADF Commander
SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, the North Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson, confirmed the incident, stating that the mother had relocated in order to arrange transportation for her 3-year-old firstborn child to their home village.
However, it was discovered that she was also pregnant upon moving to her sister’s home.
According to Okema, the suspect experienced labor pains and left the house, going approximately forty meters away.
It was there that she gave birth to a baby girl on the bare ground at around 4:00 am. Immediately after the birth, she took a hoe, dug a shallow pit less than 1.5 meters deep, and buried her newborn baby alive.
The police arrived at the scene after the community members had already rescued the baby.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
The suspect is currently in custody at Lira Central Police Station, pending further investigations. Meanwhile, the rescued baby has been taken to Lira Regional Referral Hospital, where she is receiving medical treatment.
The police have charged the suspect with attempted murder.
Also Read: LIRA: Mother buries new born baby hours after birth, arrested
