Two women from Cleary Park, Gqeberha, have been arrested for the attempted abduction of a baby inside a Cash n Carry store on Monday afternoon.
Cleary Park baby snatcher caught trying to steal baby inside store
The harrowing moment a one-year-old toddler was snatched out of her parents’ trolley while their attention was elsewhere was captured on CCTV, and the footage has since surfaced on social media.
In a statement quoted by HeraldLive, police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed the incident took place at a famous Cash n Carry store in Cleary Park at approximately 14:28.
In the footage, which you can watch below, the parents of the toddler, aged 23 and 28, respectively, are seen perusing the cold meats refrigerator with their backs turned toward their baby girl.
This is a regular occurrence in shopping settings. After all, the last place a parent would expect her baby to be abducted is inside a busy grocery store.
So, the last thing the parents of this toddler anticipated was the horror they endured after losing sight of their one-year-old girl for a few seconds.
A woman dressed in emerald green and yellow tracksuit approaches the unsuspecting couple. Casually and with spine-chilling execution, the woman lifts the toddler out of the trolley without attracting the attention of her parents, who were preoccupied with the contents of the refrigerator.
The footage abruptly ends as the woman walks off with the baby. However, according to Col. Naidu, “within seconds, another female snatched the child and also walked away.”
“When the father turned around and noticed the child was gone, he ran to the security at the door,” Naidu revealed,
The father’s quick reactions most certainly saved his baby’s life.
He immediately alerted security, and the doors of the Cash n Carry were about to be closed when the woman we saw on CCTV surfaced, informing the father that “the child was with the second suspect.”
“The women indicated that they were just joking with the parents.” Naidu added.
This explanation, however, was futile since the parents, possibly mortified by the sheer brazen abduction attempt, categorically denied knowing the two women.
The suspects, Naidu confirmed, were placed under arrest and charged with attempted kidnapping.
“Police are warning parents that within the blink of an eye, a child can be snatched and kidnapped and it is of utmost importance that children are always kept in sight,” Naidu warned.
Here is footage of the harrowing scenes that played out inside a popular Cash n Carry in Cleary Park, Gqeberha.
