Woman held for babies in freezer

The bodies of a four-month-old baby and a newborn were found in a small chest freezer among chicken pieces and meat

A WOMAN was arrested when the bodies of two babies were found in a chest freezer in KwaMashu, P-section, north of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal police said yesterday.

The bodies of a four-month-old baby and a newborn were found in a small chest freezer among chicken pieces and meat on Saturday, Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said.

The woman had allegedly been running an illegal funeral home called Mabinda Funeral Services.

"The owner had been declared insolvent, [and] the facilities were liquidated, but the woman, of her own accord, continued to receive bodies for the purpose of the business."

Police received a tip-off from local residents and conducted an in-loco inspection of the business premises. She was arrested and charged with contravening the Human Tissue Act.

She was expected to appear in the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court today.