A man has been charged with allegedly kidnapping a two-year-old boy from his home. 

The charge is part of a bizarre story involving a stolen government vehicle and a relationship between a man and his wife gone sour. 

This was confirmed by the Acting Assistant Police Commissioner, Sala’a Moanau Sale. According to Sala’a, the matter surfaced when the Police at Faleolo received a call about a government vehicle that had crashed in front of Le Vasa Hotel at Apolima-uta.

“When Police arrived at the scene, they realized that the driver of the vehicle had escaped,” he said. “They also found that the vehicle was stolen from one of the workers home where it was parked the night before.”

The next day, a mother reported that her two-year-old son had gone missing.

 “According to the mother’s statement, they were sleeping with her son but when she woke up the next day her son was gone,” Sala’a said.

“The police then searched for the missing boy. They found that there is a connection between the man accused of stealing the car and the boy that went missing from his home.

“The man accused of stealing the car is the biological father of the two-year-old that went missing from his home.”

A full blown police search was launched.

“The police conducted a searched and found the accused and the missing boy at one of the villages around the Asau District in Savai’i.

“They were escorted back to Upolu and the boy has been returned to his mother. The accused is remanded in custody.”

Sala’a went on to say that the accused could face more charges.

“At the moment, he is being charged with kidnapping but he will be facing more charges like unlawful conversion as well as dangerous driving,” he said.

“The accused is 22 years old.

“He has been separated from his wife for about two years.”

Sala’a said the boy is safe.

“We don’t know whether they are divorced or not but he is still being interviewed by the Police and we are not yet sure when he will appear in Court.”