Rescue workers searching for crying baby in underground dumpster find Bluetooth speakers instead
Emergency services workers in Zoetermeer responded to reports of a baby crying from inside underground waste containers on both Friday and Saturday. In the end it turned out that the sounds originated from bluetooth speakers, a police spokesperson confirmed after the story was published by NOS.
The first report happened Friday afternoon in a container at the Sanne van Havelteplein. The second incident happened Saturday morning on Van Stolberglaan. Police confiscated the speakers and are investigating how they ended up in each location.
The fire brigade removed many bags of household waste from the containers before the culprits were found. "We take it very seriously when reports are made about crying baby sounds," said the police spokesperson. "This is not something you mess around with."
The police are calling on people to report anything suspicious witnessed near the garbage the containers.
A newborn girl was found in an underground garbage container in Amsterdam-Zuidoost at the beginning of this year. A woman heard the baby's cries as she threw away her garbage bags. The fire brigade managed to rescue the child from the container. She was dumped in a large yellow Jumbo shopping bag. The police were able to arrest the minor parents a few days later.
In August, police in Germany arrested a woman suspected of leaving her baby in a dumpster in 2014. The mother, Todisoa R., denied any wrongdoing during her first public court appearance.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times