A woman has been arrested after a toddler was found inside a suitcase by a bus driver.
The girl was found in a bag within the luggage department of the bus during a planned stop in the small town of Kaiwaka, about 60 miles north of the city of Auckland in New Zealand.
According to authorities, the driver noticed something was wrong when he saw movement in a bag after a passenger asked for access to the baggage compartment.
Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, Acting Field Crime Manager Waitemata, said: “When the driver opened the suitcase they discovered the two-year-old little girl.”
He added that other than being very hot, the toddler was unharmed.
She was then taken to hospital for an “extensive” medical assessment.
It is not yet known how long the child had been inside the luggage compartment, nor which cities the bus was travelling between.
A 27-year-old woman was arrest and charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child.
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It has been confirmed the incident took place on an InterCity bus (file image)
Having originally been called to the scene at approximately 12.50pm on Sunday, police have confirmed the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities also said further charges could not be ruled out, and added that the Oranga Tamariki, a New-Zealand government department responsible for the well-being of children, had been notified of the incident.
The Entrada Travel Group, which operates the country’s national bus line, InterCity, confirmed to New Zealand bus outlets that one of their vehicles was involved in the incident.
However, it refused to comment any further amid the ongoing investigation.
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A young child was found in a bag within the luggage compartment of a bus (file image)
According to the company’s website, children up to the age of two are able to travel for free, provided they sit on an adult’s lap.
Children aged three and over do require a child’s ticket.
Harrison added: “We would like to acknowledge and commend the bus driver, who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome.”
In a statement, Harrison added: “Our focus is on ensuring the child is well-supported and we are working with Oranga Tamariki in relation to this matter.”
The woman, who remains anonymous, appeared at North Shore District Court on Monday.
Court papers seen by New Zealand news media website Stuff, said her actions were “likely to cause adverse effects to health including suffocation, dehydration, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exhaustion, psychological trauma” to the child.
The defendant will return to the same court on Tuesday after her lawyer requested she remain anonymous and be remanded before having to enter a plea.
