Police have found the baby girl abducted from a Belconnen care home on Thursday.
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NSW Police found the 18-month-old girl "safe and well" in bushland west of Bateman's Bay about 9.15am Friday, ACT Policing says.
The child went missing after a man armed with a knife and replica gun abducted the child from the Barnados Care House in Belconnen about 12.30pm.
Police suspect the mother of the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was involved in the abduction.
Acting Superintendent Criminal Investigations Joanne Cameron said the man was not known to police and the mother was not the primary care giver for the child.
An ACT Policing spokeswoman said ACT and NSW officers had been involved in an extensive police search to find the girl at a campsite near Nelligen.
She said arrangements were being made to return the child to the care of ACT Care and Protection.
NSW Police said Far South Coast Local Area Command officers found and arrested a 22-year-old man on River Road at Shallow Crossing, north of Nelligen around 9am on Friday morning.
Police then travelled to a nearby camping ground on Drurys Road, where they found the baby and arrested an 18-year-old woman.
NSW Police said the man and woman were assisting police.
Superintendent Cameron thanked officers and the community for their help finding the girl.
"Our primary focus from the beginning of this investigation was the safety of this 18-month old girl," she said.
"Initial assistance of some people who provided information was invaluable and through the collaborative efforts of ACT Policing and NSW Police, the child was located safe and well."
Todd urged anyone in contact with the baby's mother, or the man who snatched her from the care home, to persuade the couple to come forward.
"It doesn't matter what happened, we just need to keep this child safe," he said.
"This is the chance to make a really good decision. It's just 20 hours too long."
He praised the efforts of Barnados staff and police.
Barnardos Australia CEO Deirdre Cheers said the abduction was "a very unusual event".
"Parents don't usually snatch or abduct their children from foster care and we provide foster care for many hundreds of children each year," she said.
"As always our primary concern is the needs of the child and we're so thankful this particular child has been found safely and also that we've been able to cooperate with police in both NSW and the ACT."
