Mother abandons 5-month-old baby in Dubai hotel apartment

Dubai - Maid informs police after the woman doesn't return for eight days.

A Kenyan mother abandoned her five-month-old baby with a maid and left for her country, even as the child suffers from breathing problems and has been referred to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.

Colonel Yusuf Al Adidi, director of Al Qusais police station, said that the police received information from the Ethiopian maid that a Kenyan woman had left a baby with her in a hotel apartment and not returned for the past eight days. The maid told the police that she agreed to take care of the baby after the woman agreed to pay her well.

The maid said the woman used to come to the house only to sleep and was mostly in an inebriated state. She never paid heed to the needs of the child and neglected him.

On being informed, a police team was immediately sent to the hotel apartment and the child was found in the custody of the maid. The police carried out the necessary investigation to ensure the child's identity. They found his birth certificate. The child  was born in the GMC Hospital in Dubai and it turned out that his father is a famous American player.

Al Adidi pointed out that the child was sent to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children. It was found that the baby was having difficulty in breathing. Police probe suggested that the Kenyan mother had left the country. The consulate concerned in Dubai has been contacted and all documents proving the mother's identity have been sent to find out why she abandoned the child.

The child's father, who has been contacted through another consulate in Dubai, said that he left the country before the baby's birth, as he separated from his mother.

Al Addidi pointed out that attempts are on -- with coordination of the Kenyan authorities -- to reach the mother and her family.

• Dubai