Family members related to Melbourne woman Sofina Nikat who confessed to murdering her baby girl have received death threats from people who believe they were complicit in the killing.
Ms Nikat, 22, initially told police she and her 14-month-old daughter Sanaya were walking in Melbourne’s Olympic Park on Saturday afternoon on April 9 when a shoeless African man smelling of alcohol took the baby out of her stroller and ran away with her.
Little Sanaya’s body was found in a nearby creek the next morning.
After Ms Nikat made the full confession, she was charged with murder.
According to North West Divisional Commander Superintendent Tim Hansen, grieving relatives of Sanaya are living in fear after being abused at their homes and on social media.
Superintendent Hansen wrote a letter to the editor of The Age: “Sanaya’s relatives and the extended families have had to deal with this difficult news whilst struggling with the loss of their baby girl, daughter, niece, granddaughter and loved one.”
“Not only have they been facing these tragic circumstances, they have been the victims of malicious attacks in their own community.”
He called the attacks “callous and unjustified”, as there is no evidence to support that the family helped the horrific crime. Superintendent Hansen was adamant the family have been helping police.
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