‘If Beijing is like this …’: Storm in China over child abduction bid
Police criticised for their handling of an attempted kidnapping of an 11-month-old boy in a Beijing shopping centre in broad daylight
A Chinese father’s harrowing story of how his toddler was almost abducted by strangers in broad daylight this week has sparked online criticism of Beijing police for perceived leniency in dealing with the offenders.
In a lengthy Weibo post on Thursday, the man, who was unnamed, said that three middle-aged women tried to snatch the 11-month-old boy from his stroller in a shopping centre in Beijing’s Dahongmen district on Tuesday morning.
The man said his wife tried to grab her son but was restrained by two of the women. Passers-by eventually intervened and safely returned the boy to his mother.
The post included photos of stamped police documents relating to two of the offenders, showing they had received five days of administrative detention following the incident. It is understood that all of the women involved in the attempted kidnapping were apprehended and received the same punishment.
The man said police had revealed that one of the offenders claimed she thought the toddler was her grandchild.