It’s important for parents to never take their eyes off of their small children while out in public, even for an instant, as this recent attempted kidnapping in Jakarta shows.
On Monday, CCTV footage of a man attempting to kidnap an unattended little boy went viral online. The footage was taken from ITC Kuningan mall — a popular cheap electronics and fashion goods shopping center in South Jakarta — showing a bald man in a white shirt picking up the boy while his mother was initially nowhere to be seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhE7NrG5Htg
According to the police, the mother had gone off to wash her hands for just a moment. Luckily, she returned in time to hear her son screaming. She eventually caught up with the man, who returned the boy to his mother before running away.
The man, identified by his initials AY (37), turned himself in to the police yesterday.
“His reason (for the attempted kidnapping) is because he likes children, but that is just his alibi,” said South Jakarta Police Chief Mardiaz, as quoted by Kompas today.
The police charged AY with child abduction, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison according to Article 330 of the KUHP (Criminal Code).
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