Uncertainty is growing over the case of a five-month-old baby boy allegedly stolen at Asafo Market in Kumasi after fresh developments emerged.

The prime suspect, whose identity has yet to be disclosed, was reportedly arrested at Ejisu but has since been granted police enquiry bail, a development that has raised questions among family members following conflicting accounts about her arrest and release.

The baby was reportedly stolen from the Cape Coast Bus Terminal section of the Asafo Market, specifically an area known as Opera Site, in the early hours of Sunday, September 20, 2026.

The traumatised parents, Freda Owusu and her husband, Emmanuel Acheampong, immediately lodged a formal complaint at the Asokwa Police Station on the day of the incident, prompting the police to launch a manhunt.

Two days after the incident, the case took a dramatic turn.

Speaking to JoyNews on Tuesday, September 22, Mr Osei Kuffour, an uncle of the missing child, disclosed that the family received a tip-off around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21, that police at Ejisu had arrested a woman travelling with a baby.

He explained that, according to the information received, the woman had boarded a VIP bus heading towards Accra, but her interaction with the infant aroused the suspicion of other passengers. Upon reaching Ejisu, the passengers reportedly lodged a complaint at the Ejisu Divisional Police Command, leading to her arrest.

In an effort to verify the information, relatives of the missing child went to the Ejisu police station, where officers on duty reportedly confirmed that a woman with an infant in her custody had been arrested on suspicion of child stealing but had subsequently been released.

“When we went to the Ejisu police station to confirm, the officers on duty admitted that a woman with a baby was arrested over claims of child stealing, but she had already been released,” Mr Kuffour said.

He alleged that the police released the woman after a man appeared at the station claiming to be her husband and insisting that the baby belonged to them.

Mr Kuffour said the family was told by the police to return home and report back on Tuesday, September 22, as efforts were being made to re-arrest the suspect.

“They told us to go home and come back on Tuesday as they are intensifying efforts to bring the suspect back, but unfortunately, when we went back to the police today, the suspect and her husband didn’t show up,” he lamented.

Responding to the development, the Ejisu Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Samuel Kofi Gamson, confirmed the arrest and subsequent release of the woman.

He clarified that the suspect was arrested on Sunday and was granted bail in line with police procedures.

“She was arrested on Sunday and remained in police custody overnight before being granted bail. During that time, no official baby theft case had been filed by anyone,” he said.

Chief Supt Gamson assured that efforts were underway to locate and bring in the woman, the baby and the man who allegedly presented himself as her husband to secure her bail for further investigations.

“They are in Accra, so I have sent my officers to go there and bring the suspect woman, the baby and the husband, so that we can conduct an identification parade to see if truly she stole the baby or not,” he said.

He said the identification parade would be crucial in determining whether the child in the woman’s custody was indeed the missing child.

“By 11 a.m. tomorrow, I am expecting them to arrive so we can continue investigations into the matter from there,” Chief Supt Gamson stated.