Another suspect has been arrested in the ongoing child trafficking investigation that has already led to the rescue of two children, while efforts continue to locate a missing five-year-old girl.
According to the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, the latest suspect, Lucinda Naomi Otchere, a midwife and in charge of the maternity and labour ward at Trust Mother and Child Hospital in Osu, is alleged to be part of a trafficking network.
She explained that preliminary investigations suggest the suspect allegedly received a missing seven-year-old girl from another suspect, Janet Larbie, and paid GH¢20,000 in the process.
Police further say the suspect also allegedly made an additional payment of GH¢35,000 to Janet Larbie and instructed her to deliver another five-year-old girl to a couple at Pokuase.
Commissioner Donkor indicated that intelligence gathered suggests the group has been operating a child trafficking network for some time.
The arrest follows earlier operations by the Central East Regional Police Command, which led to the arrest of six other suspects: Grace Osei Afriyie, Regina Agyeiwaa, Janet Larbie, Mary Dotsey, Yvonne Twumasi, and Seikena Umar.
The case began after the Kasoa Division of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) received a report on April 10, 2026, about the disappearance of seven-year-old Kadija Karim in Kasoa in the Central Region.
Investigations revealed that the child was allegedly lured by suspects Janet Larbie and Seikena Umar under the pretext of taking her to see her biological mother. She was then moved to another location, kept by an accomplice, and later returned to Kasoa, where she was warned not to report the incident.
Police say further investigations uncovered another case involving a 10-month-old baby and a five-year-old girl, allegedly taken from their mother under the guise of being cared for.
The infant was later traced to the Ashanti Region, where it was found to have been sold to two suspects for GH¢35,000. The child has since been rescued and reunited with the parents, while Kadija Karim has also been safely recovered.
However, the five-year-old girl allegedly sent to Pokuase is still missing.
Police have appealed to the couple believed to be in possession of the child to hand her over to the nearest police station or contact investigators to assist in the ongoing search.
Five of the suspects are currently on remand as investigations continue to identify and arrest other members of the syndicate.
The Police Service has also urged the public to provide any information on the missing child or suspects by contacting the nearest police station or calling emergency numbers 191 or 112.
