A supermarket worker in South Africa has been arrested after he was caught on security cameras brazenly grabbing an 8-month-old baby from a mother’s pram.
The shocking ordeal unfolded at a SuperSpar store in Alberton, just outside Johannesburg, last Sunday as the mother and her daughter stood with their arms crossed in front of a fridge in the butcher’s aisle.
The camera footage, which has since gone viral, shows the apron-clad worker slowly approaching the couple as the unconscious mother stared into the fridge.
Just seconds after the mother bent down to pick up an item, the 43-year-old worker was caught on camera calmly pulling her daughter out of the shopping cart and walking away.
The horrified mother followed the employee moments later when she realized her daughter was missing, the footage shows. The employee could then be seen reaching out and trying to explain his actions, while the mother hugged her child.
Police arrested the man on charges of attempted kidnapping, while the store said the employee had been suspended.
The supermarket chain later released a statement saying they were “extremely relieved” that the attempted hijacking had been foiled and they were cooperating with the police investigation.