Woman packs up two-year-old girl in suitcase, puts it in luggage compartment of bus

A woman put a two-year-old girl inside a suitcase and then casually placed it in the luggage area on a bus in New Zealand before taking a seat. The strange incident happened in a small town in the country on August 3 and came to light after the driver got suspicious about her when she insisted on going to the luggage section. After he raised the alarm, the police checked her bag and were shocked to discover the young girl in her bag. The incident happened in a small settlement in Kaiwaka. The bus made a planned halt at a bus stop. The woman asked the driver to let her access the luggage area. Something about her tipped him off, and he became suspicious. He then went to the luggage area and noticed movement in one of the bags. Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said in a statement that when the driver opened the bag, he found a young girl in it. She was "very hot" but otherwise did not appear to have sustained any physical problems. It was not revealed how long the girl was inside the bag, nor the details of the trip. The woman was arrested following the discovery. Also Read: Bat enters woman's mouth after getting caught between her face and camera, costs her more than Rs 18 lakh

Girl is under observation

The 27-year-old woman has been charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child and could face further charges. Meanwhile, the girl was taken to a hospital where she is under observation, and an extensive medical assessment is being carried out. Doctors say that the situation in which the girl was packed up could have caused adverse health problems, such as suffocation, dehydration, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exhaustion and psychological trauma. Children’s services have been informed of the case. It is also not clear whether the girl was related to the woman. She appeared at the North Shore District Court on Monday. New Zealand news media outlet Stuff reported, quoting court documents, that the woman was travelling from Whangarei to Auckland.

Driver being praised for quick action

The woman is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and will return to the court soon. Her lawyer successfully gained the right to keep her identity a secret. New Zealand’s national bus line InterCity, Entrada Travel Group, confirmed that the incident happened on one of its buses. “Police were called to respond and are investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident, and the service resumed,” the group said. DH Harrison also praised the driver for taking quick action. If he had not acted on his suspicions, the girl could have been in a much dangerous situation right now.