Dubai: Police are trying to locate a Kenyan woman who left her five-month-old baby boy with an illegal housemaid in a hotel apartment and left the country.
The hotel management contacted police when it wanted to collect rent for the apartment.
Colonel Yousuf Al Adidi, director of Al Qusais police station, said they received a complaint about the illegal housemaid staying in a hotel apartment with a baby whose mother has been missing for more than a week.
The Ethiopian housemaid told police that the mother left them eight days ago and didn’t return.
“The baby was having health problems and some breathing difficulties and we referred him to Dubai Foundation for Women and Children after providing necessary treatment.
The housemaid was employed by the mother on an hourly basis and was staying illegally. “She stayed with the child, hoping the mother will return,” Colonel Al Adidi said.
The housemaid told police that on previous occasions the mother left them for a couple of days but always came back.
“It’s a case of negligence by the mother who used to consume alcohol and neglected her son. The housemaid was staying illegally in the country but waited with the boy and refused to leave him. The maid tried to contact the mother many times but the phone was off all the time,” he added.
The mother flew out of UAE through Dubai International Airport to her home country and the police are trying to find her.
“We found a birth certificate containing the names of mother and the father. He is an American citizen but left the country in 2015 before the baby was born. We contacted the US consulate and waited the father to respond but he denied the boy is his son. He sent his reply through the consulate.”
The boy is in the foundation shelter while the police are coordinating with Kenyan authorities to find the mother or her family. “I feel sorry for the baby and I can’t imagine a mother can leave her son in such way,” the officer added.
The maid was deported to her country.
