Rabat – In New Zealand, a 27-year-old woman was arrested on a neglect charge after traveling on a bus with a 2-year-old girl in her suitcase, on Sunday.
According to police reports, the suitcase was not stored with the women, but instead packed in the vehicle’s luggage compartment underneath the passengers.
The bus driver called the police when he noticed the bag moving during a scheduled stop. Another passenger had asked for the compartment to be opened for his own luggage when the driver realized. The bus stopped at the settlement of Kaiwaka, north of Auckland.
The toddler was found very hot but physically unharmed. Law enforcement has not released details disclosing the length of time nor the cities that the 2-year-old had traveled.
The young woman was arrested and charged with ill-treatment and neglect of a child, but officials expect further charges to be possible.
Simon Harrison, the detective inspector on the case, reported that the young girl was taken to the hospital and remained there through Sunday night, undergoing a multitude of medical assessments.
“We would like to acknowledge and commend the bus driver, who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome,” Harrison stated.
The bus company called InterCity confirmed to New Zealand local news outlets that the involved bus was one of their vehicles. There is speculation on why the woman did this because financially InterCity does not charge a fare for children under the age of three as they can travel for free on an adult’s lap.
The relationship between the woman and the child was not released and it is unknown if there is a mother-daughter relationship. Authorities have not disclosed the woman’s name. She will be seen at the North Shore District Court this afternoon.
