Woman charged after two-year-old girl found stowed in suitcase on New Zealand bus

A toddler who was discovered in a bus luggage compartment, stashed in a suitcase, was on an InterCity bus that had stopped in Kaiwaka, north of Auckland.

A 27-year-old woman is due in a North Shore court on Monday, facing charges of ill-treatment/neglect of a child.

InterCity said it was aware of an incident involving a passenger on one of its services on Sunday, saying nobody was harmed and the service has since resumed.

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"As this is now an active police investigation, we are unable to comment further," an InterCity spokesperson said on Monday.

Police were called at 12.50pm, after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment during a planned stop in Kaiwaka.

The driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving, said Detective Inspector Simon Harrison.

When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the 2-year-old girl.

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The little girl was reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed.

She was taken to hospital, where she remains, undergoing an extensive medical assessment.

Police enquiries into this incident are ongoing and further charges cannot be ruled out, Harrison said.

Oranga Tamariki has also been notified. Travel on Intercity buses is free for children aged under two.

This article has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.