Woman arrested over child neglect in New Zealand after toddler found in suitcase of bus luggage compartment

Police detective Harrison said the suspect woman asked the driver to access the compartment during the scheduled stop. “The driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving. When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the two-year-old girl,” Harrison said, reported NBC News.

Harrison informed that the girl was then taken to a hospital for an “extensive medical assessment” and was reported “to be very hot, but otherwise she appeared physically unharmed.”

The suspect, a 27-year-old woman not identified by the police, was arrested and charged with “ill treatment/ neglect of a child” while further charges were not being ruled out, police detective Harrison added.

The suspect is due in court on Monday. However, it isn’t clear why the two-year-old girl was in the suitcase. Entrada Travel Group acknowledged that the incident involved one of its buses. Entrada travel operates New Zealand’s national bus line, InterCity.

In an email statement, Entrada Travel Group said “We are aware of an incident involving a passenger on one of our services. Police were called to respond and are investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident, and the service resumed,” NBC News quoted.

The fare for children in the InterCity bus line is free for the age group of 0-2 years if the child is held on an adult/guardian’s lap. For the children of 3 years and above, travelling with adults is allowed but that requires a child ticket.

(with inputs from NBC News)

From the homepage

Vice President Election Results 2025 Live Updates: Counting begins after MPs vote to choose next V-P — Radhakrishnan or Sudershan Reddy?

Blasts heard in Doha as Israel targets top Hamas leadership in Qatar

Avalanche strikes Siachen base camp in Ladakh; three soldiers killed