Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cabnapped
Uber driver took off with our baby in the back.. and didn’t realise for an hour
A TAXI driver accidentally made off with a customer’s seven-month-old baby in the back of his car – and didn’t realise she was there for almost an hour.
Mum Elisabeth Katompa, 31, was horrified when she got out of the Uber vehicle to walk around and unstrap her daughter, only for the driver to head off, not realising the tot was still there.
He went on to pick up two more fares, before finally being alerted to the presence of little Olivia-hope asleep in the back.
The first customer after Mrs Katompa did not think to question the driver about the tot, who was snoozing soundly.
Only when a second fare asked if he was aware of the baby did he realise.
He took her to a police station, five miles from the home Mrs Katompa shares with husband Oliver, 31, in Tottenham, North London.
Mrs Katompa said: “The police blue-lighted us to the station. I was just hoping it was her...
“I was hoping that she was well. I was worried that it wouldn’t be my baby. I just wanted to see her. It was scary.
“I got so worried because you hear about... when someone just takes a child and then you never see them again,”
When Mrs Katompa got to the station, Olivia-hope was still sound asleep. The relieved mum said: “She wasn’t aware of anything that was going on.”
Uber said: “As soon as the driver... realised what had happened they drove to the local police station to safely reunite mum and baby.”
MUM OF MISSING BABY