Local News

Paramedics treated murdered toddler a week before death

An autopsy has also revealed the 15-month-old was smothered to death.

An ambulance was called to treat 15-month-old Sanaya Sahib at her Melbourne home a week before her body was found in a nearby creek.

Ambulance Victoria would not confirm what paramedics treated the toddler for, but witnesses claim they were in the house for several hours.

Sanaya’s uncle Habib Ali told the Herald Sun the little girl was treated after suffering a seizure.

The Herald Sun report also revealed Sanaya’s post-mortem had found she was smothered to death, though police have not officially revealed a cause of death.

Police are still searching for the “barefoot drunk” man of African appearance that Sanaya’s 22-year-old mother Sofina Nikat claims snatched the little girl from her in Heidelberg West’s popular Olympic Park on Saturday morning.

Nikat says the man approached her, pushed her to the ground, took Sanaya and fled. She says she tried chasing them but gave up and pushed the empty stroller back to her house to alert police.

Sanaya’s body was found in a creek 17 hours later.

Detectives searched Nikat’s home – where she lived after recently separating from her husband – and also the nearby home of her brother Ali.

Nikat was then escorted away by police for “welfare reasons”, with officers stressing she was not under arrest.

Police are now seeking CCTV footage from the neighbourhood to help them determine what happened.

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