A 35-year-old Durban nanny has been arrested in Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal for allegedly stealing a nine-month-old baby.

The woman is expected to appear in the Durban magistrate's court on Monday.

Investigations into the matter revealed that the suspect had allegedly informed her boyfriend that the child was theirs and that the boyfriend had been giving her R2,500 monthly to take care of the child's needs.

According to police, the mother of the baby returned home on Saturday afternoon to find the nanny and her son were not in the house.

Police spokesperson Lt-Col Paul Magwaza said the mother contacted the nanny asking her where she was as she had not consented to the child being taken from the house.

“The nanny informed the mother of the child that she was somewhere in Empangeni, but could not provide a reasonable explanation why she had left and taken the child with her. Further communication between the mother and the nanny suggested that the mother needed to go alone to Empangeni to fetch her child,” Magwaza said.

He said the matter was reported at Durban central police station and the relevant police units were immediately brought on board to assist with an investigation into the case.

“In the early hours of Sunday, a police operation was conducted in Empangeni where the 35-year-old woman was arrested. The child was found unharmed and has been taken for precautionary medical examination,” he said.