A woman was accused of child negligence in New Zealand after a 2 -year -old girl was found inside a suitcase in a bus luggage compartment on Sunday, police said.
The bus driver made the discovery during a scheduled stop in Kaiwaka, a city in the Northland region, said New Zealand Police Inspective, Simon Harrison, in a statement.
The suspect asked the compartment to access during the stop, said Harrison, interim crime manager for the adjacent district of Waitematā Auckland.
“The driver worried when he noticed that the bag moved,” he said. “When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the two -year -old girl.”
The child was taken to a hospital for an “extensive medical evaluation” and it was reported that it was very hot, but otherwise it seemed not physically damaged, “Harrison said.
The suspect, a 27 -year -old woman whose name was not released, was arrested and accused of “ill -treatment/negligence” of a child, he said. No more charges are ruled out, he added.
She must appear at the Court on Monday, Harrison said.
It is not clear why the child was in a suitcase. Travel Group entrance, which operates the National Buses of New Zealand, Interity, acknowledged that the incident involved one of its buses.
The bus line says online that children of up to 2 years travel for free if they do in the lap of a guardian. Children 3 years or older can travel with tutors, but that requires a children’s ticket, it is usually sold at a deeply discounted rate.
“We are aware of an incident that involves a passenger in one of our services,” said the entrance travel group by email. “The police were called to answer and are investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident and the service resumed.”
He said he could not comment more in the midst of ongoing research.
Harrison praised the bus driver for being aware and taking action.
“We would like to recognize and congratulate the bus driver, who noticed that something was not right and took immediate measures, avoiding what could have been a much worse result,” he said.
Kaiwaka is about 60 miles north of Auckland along the country’s central artery, state highway 1.
