Parents are often urged to always keep an eye on their children when out and about at public places as they can wander off and be abducted by strangers.
A three-year-old girl in Kedah nearly became the victim of a kidnapping after a Nepali man attempted to carry her off but was rescued by a group of passersby who apprehended the suspect.
Nepali man tries to kidnap 3yo M’sian girl in Kedah
According to a photo which is circulating on X (formerly known as Twitter), it showed the Nepali man holding the young girl in his arms and walking away.
However, his attempt to kidnap the girl was quickly foiled by a group of passersby, who sensed that he was up to no good and apprehended him.
In a 1-minute video which is also being widely shared on X, the Nepali man is seen being surrounded by the passersby who worked together to stop him from escaping.
They were also seen beating up the Nepali man, with one of them delivering a kick right to his face.
Held 3yo girl at knifepoint
In a statement issued by Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zaidy Che Hassan, he said personnel from the Jeniang Police Station received a call from the public about the incident at 7.20am yesterday (Nov 26), reported Astro Awani.
“Preliminary investigations found that the child’s father had left her on the motorcycle and went to pick up a roti canai order.
“The suspect is then believed to have rushed towards the child and grabbed her before taking a few steps back while pointing a knife at her neck.
“The suspect also spoke in an unintelligible language, believed to be Nepali, asking for money for food from the victim’s father who was in front of him at that time.
“While the victim’s father tried to calm the child and persuade the suspect to return her to him, members of the public who witnessed the incident managed to grab the suspect from behind and apprehend him,” he said, adding that the suspect was later handed over to the police.
Ran away from workplace due to stress and hunger
Zaidy added that the Nepali man’s employer had lodged a police report on Nov 8 after he ran away from a factory he worked at a month ago.
“The suspect is believed to have run away due to work pressure. Preliminary investigations also found that the suspect’s motive was due to stress and he was in a state of hunger during the incident as he had not eaten for several days,” he said.
The knife believed to have been used in the kidnapping was also seized by police.
Zaidy said the victim was sent to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) for further treatment and examination and the case is being investigated under Section 363 of the Penal Code and Section 6 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958.
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