Nurse Charged With Human Trafficking in US$20 Baby Trafficking Scam
By Judith Nyuke
A nurse at Sally Mugabe Hospital, accused of inducing a pregnant minor to prematurely give birth, facilitating the trafficking of the child, and obtaining a fraudulent death certificate, allegedly received a payment of US$20.
Betty Sena, 42, gave the prematurely born child to Dion Tore, providing her with documents falsely claiming she had given birth to the child.
Sena appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with human trafficking.
The matter was rolled over to 3 December for bail ruling.
The State alleges that sometime between February 2024 and March 2024, Sena acting in Concert with Evelyn Zisengwe, Dion Tore and Ayanda Zisengwe who is a minor and are on remand hatched a plan to traffick a female infant, now aged 9 months for the purpose of unlawful adoption.
During the same period Sena who is employed as a midwife at Sally Mugabe Central hospital unlawfully induced Ayanda Zisengwe so that she could prematurely deliver her child.
On 25 February 2024 Ayanda Zisengwe delivered her child who was born prematurely(28 weeks).
On 5 March 2024 accused Betty Patricia Sena unlawfully handed over the newborn baby to Dion Tore at Sally Mugabe Central hospital after accused had falsified documents to appear as if Dion Tore had given birth.
Accused then abused her supervisory position to facilitate the unsafe discharge of the premature infant from the hospital before she was due for discharge.
Accused was paid US$20-00 by Dion Tore for the services and she further originated a fake death record purporting that Ayanda Zisengwe had given birth and her child had passed away.
Detectives from CID Counter Terrorism Unit then arrested the accused, after being implicated by accused Dion Tore and Ayanda Zisengwe.
