The Ondo State Police Command have arrested a 28-year-old woman, Mary Mathew, for allegedly caging her four-year-old foster daughter inside the bush for over five months at Imafon Village in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State.

According to Mary, she put the little girl (Precious Michael) in isolation after suspecting her of being possessed with witchcraft and also inflicted with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, which reportedly killed her mother last year

The suspect, a relative of the victim’s late mother, brought the little girl to Imafon in December 2015 after the death of her mother.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Hilda Harrison,  while parading the suspect at the headquarters of the command in Akure on Thursday said she was arrested following a tip off by the residents of the village.

“Mary Mathew and her husband who alleged that the girl was possessed and thus decided to lock her outside the house. On receipt of the information, personnel attached to Juvenile Welfare Center of the police command visited the scene and met the girl in the cage as reported,” the commissioner said.

“She (the girl) was immediately rescued and taken to police clinic for medical attention while the suspects are under interrogation and will soon be charged to court “

Harrison further explained the victim would be taken to the state welfare home of the Ondo State Ministry of Woman Affairs and Social Welfare .

Also speaking, the police officer at the JWC of the command, Mrs. Olayemi Ojumu (ASP), who led the team that rescued the girl, said that Precious had tested negative for HIV.

In her statement, Mary, a farmer and indigene of Enugu State said she only caged the victim to a corner in her shop and that she used to release her in the evening whenever she came back from the farm and cage her back in the morning.