BANKET – The quiet community of Banket has been plunged into a chilling nightmare following the audacious abduction of a three-month-old baby from her home. This harrowing incident has not only left a young family distraught but has also ignited a national conversation about the alarming vulnerability of children and the persistent challenges faced by law enforcement in safeguarding the nation’s youngest citizens. As police intensify their search, this investigative report delves into the disturbing details of the Banket case, scrutinising the circumstances that allowed a stranger to exploit a mother’s trust, and examining broader patterns of child abductions across Zimbabwe.
The incident, which occurred at House Number 753, Magamba Way, Banket, on the evening of 7 June at approximately 7:30 PM, reads like a scene from a crime thriller. The baby’s mother, 22-year-old Lynette Mukono, was approached by an unknown woman who spun a deceptive tale. According to Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson Inspector Ian Kohwera, the woman informed Mukono that she had seen her husband with another female friend at Labana Houses.
Driven by concern, Mukono left her two children, aged three months and three years, asleep at home to investigate the claim. Her search proved fruitless; she failed to locate her husband at Labana Houses and subsequently found him knocking off duty at his workplace. Upon their return home, the couple made a horrifying discovery: their three-month-old infant was missing. A frantic search with neighbours yielded no results, leading them to report the abduction to ZRP Banket.
Lynette Mukono believes the suspect meticulously planned the abduction by deliberately gaining her trust. Speaking to Platinum FM, a Zimpapers radio station, Mukono recounted how the woman claimed to have been sent by her mother and even used her father’s nickname, creating a false sense of familiarity and security. “She said she was directed by my mother to my house, and she even called my father by his nickname, which made me believe she was someone from around here,” Mukono stated. This calculated deception highlights a sinister tactic often employed by perpetrators to disarm unsuspecting parents.
At the time of her disappearance, the baby was dressed in a pink tracksuit, a blue hat, a brown romper, and pink socks adorned with heart-shaped designs. Police have issued an urgent appeal to the public for any information that could lead to the infant’s recovery and the arrest of the perpetrator.
A Disturbing Pattern: Echoes of Other Abductions
The Banket abduction, while deeply distressing, is not an isolated incident. It resonates with a disturbing pattern of child kidnappings that have plagued Zimbabwe in recent years, often exploiting trust or leveraging deceptive tactics. The modus operandi in Banket bears a chilling resemblance to a case reported in Bulawayo in December 2025, where a four-month-old baby girl was kidnapped through a deceptive social media ploy.
In the Bulawayo incident, the infant’s 26-year-old mother had joined a WhatsApp group called “Idale Labomama,” which purported to offer free children’s clothing. She was lured by a message to contact an unknown individual, who identified herself as MaNdlovu. The suspect offered to deliver the clothes personally to the mother’s residence. The mother was then instructed to wait at a specific street corner, leaving her baby at home. When she returned, her baby was gone. The parallels with the Banket case are stark: both involved a stranger gaining trust through a fabricated story (free clothes via social media, or a false report about the husband), luring the mother away from her home, and subsequently abducting the infant.
Another concerning incident occurred in Gweru in November 2025, where a two-month-old baby was kidnapped from the city centre near Kudzanai Bus Terminus. While the specifics of the deception differed, the vulnerability of infants to stranger abductions remains a critical concern. These cases underscore a broader societal issue where children, particularly those in their infancy, are becoming targets for criminals employing increasingly sophisticated and manipulative methods.
The Dark Fate: Where Do the Children Go?
The most haunting question in the Banket case—and indeed in all such abductions—is the ultimate fate of these innocent victims. Investigative findings suggest a grim reality that lies beneath the surface of these disappearances. Some of these abducted babies are sold to barren women who lie to their husbands that they have given birth, so as to save their marriages. In a society where the inability to conceive can lead to social stigma or the dissolution of a union, the desperation to present a child can drive individuals to participate in this illegal and heartless trade.
Furthermore, there is an even more sinister destination for these infants. Others are sold to evil traditional healers and fake prophets who use human body parts for money-making ritual purposes. These “merchants of death” exploit deep-seated superstitions, promising wealth or power in exchange for the lives of the most vulnerable. The belief that the innocence of a child enhances the “potency” of a ritual makes infants particularly prized targets for these criminal syndicates.
Factual incidents across Zimbabwe provide a harrowing testament to these fates. One of the most prominent and disturbing cases is that of seven-year-old Tapiwa Makore, who was murdered in Murehwa in 2020. Tapiwa was killed for ritual purposes, with his body parts harvested to supposedly bring “good fortune” to a business venture . The trial revealed the involvement of his own uncle, highlighting how the quest for ritual wealth can override even the closest familial bonds. For years, the family was left in agony as Tapiwa’s head remained missing, a stark example of the utter lack of humanity shown by those who engage in these practices.
In May 2024, a 30-year-old woman in Plumtree was arrested for kidnapping a baby from a local hospital . Investigations into such cases often reveal that the perpetrators intend to raise the child as their own to appease a husband or family, or to sell the infant to a childless couple. These “thefts of necessity”—as they are sometimes perversely viewed by the perpetrators—are no less traumatic than those motivated by ritual greed. They represent a fundamental violation of the bond between mother and child, fueled by a market of desperation and deceit.
The Role of Deception and the Market of Desperation
The “market” for abducted children is sustained by two primary pillars: the desperation of the childless and the greed of the ritualist. In the case of barren women, the pressure to conform to traditional expectations of motherhood creates a demand that traffickers are all too willing to meet. These women often fake pregnancies for months, using padding and fabricated medical reports, before “presenting” a stolen baby as their own. The husband, often working away from home or simply unsuspecting, is duped into believing a miracle has occurred, while a biological mother elsewhere is left in a state of perpetual mourning.
On the other hand, the ritualistic trade is driven by a darker, more secretive network. Fake prophets and rogue traditional healers operate in the shadows, often preying on those who are financially struggling and looking for a quick, albeit occult, fix to their problems. The abduction of the Banket baby, occurring in a peri-urban area where such beliefs can still hold sway, raises the terrifying possibility that she was targeted for such a purpose. The calculated way the suspect gained Lynette Mukono’s trust suggests a level of premeditation common in ritualistic kidnappings, where specific “types” of victims are often sought out.