Italian Couple Held a Birth Party After Lying About Pregnancy and Kidnapping a Newborn

Caught Just Four Hours After the Crime in Italy

A couple in Italy who falsely announced a pregnancy to those around them and even declared the birth of a son on social media (SNS) was caught after kidnapping a newborn at an obstetrics and gynecology hospital.

A newborn abducted from the obstetrics department in the southern Italian city of Cosenza was returned to its mother's arms after 4 hours. Photo by ANSA

According to ANSA news agency and others on the 22nd (local time), a one-day-old baby girl was kidnapped at an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in the southern Italian city of Cosenza the previous day. Thanks to the police's swift response, the baby was safely returned to her parents within four hours of the kidnapping.

The kidnappers were identified as Rosa Vespa (51), a local resident, and her husband Aqua Moses (43) from Senegal. Their kidnapping act was motivated by lies. For the past nine months, the couple had been falsely telling those around them that they were expecting a child, with the wife pretending to be pregnant. On the 8th, they even announced on SNS that they had given birth to a son. To acquaintances eager to see the baby, they said, "The baby is at the hospital undergoing tests."

Eventually, they planned to kidnap someone else's baby and pass it off as their own child. Vespa entered the hospital disguised as a nurse and, with her face covered by a mask, took the baby under the pretext of a doctor's examination. When Vespa brought a baby girl instead of a boy, the couple was seen arguing in footage captured by the hospital's closed-circuit television (CCTV).

After a long time passed without the baby returning, the baby's mother and grandmother reported the disappearance to the police. Upon learning of the newborn's disappearance, the police launched a large-scale search, analyzed CCTV footage, identified the vehicle used in the crime and the suspects' faces, and arrived at the couple's home within a few hours.

When the police arrived, a party celebrating the baby's birth was underway at their home. The kidnapped baby was dressed in boys' clothes, and the room was decorated in blue, symbolizing a boy. Local media reported that the acquaintances and family attending the party were completely unaware that the baby had been kidnapped.

The mother, having recovered her baby, said, "I am relieved that the baby is safe," adding, "Last night, our family died and came back to life." She also said, "The entire city, no, the entire region helped us find our baby. I will never forget this experience," and expressed gratitude to everyone who supported and encouraged them.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the police officers who safely rescued the newborn, saying, "They did an amazing job" and "I sincerely thank them."