A mother in Cape Town dealt with what she believes to be an attempted kidnapping just before Christmas, on 23 December, at Kenilworth Centre. The family has opened a police complaint.
Nabeelah Martin, 28-year-old Kensington resident, was standing in the queue to pay at Mr Price in the shopping centre when a woman looked directly at her. The woman proceeded to place a finger to her lips and say “shhh”.
The woman then grabbed the hand of Martin’s 5-year-old daughter, who was standing beside her but facing the opposite direction.
“She wasn’t smiling or making a joke. It was a fear thing, the way her gesture was made. I just brushed it off and ignored it,” Martin said.
“And as I ignored it, I saw her take my daughter’s arm and casually drag my daughter along with her. So my daughter thought it was her mommy taking her arm.”
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Martin noticed and pulled her daughter back, saying that she felt the woman was not trying to make a scene during this.
“I asked her what she was doing and there was no shock, not even stunned. She just looked at me and said, ‘Oh, I’m just joking,’ and I asked her what kind of joke this is, and she said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry’.”
Mr Price employees told Martin that the situation was being dealt with internally as the woman involved was part of the Mr Price Group. Martin then opened a police complaint.
Her daughter, who was celebrating her birthday at Spur, was taken to the nearest police station with the woman and a senior worker from Mr Price.
Martin said both her child and the family were traumatised by the situation.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi confirmed to IOL that a kidnapping case had been registered at the Claremont police station. The matter is reportedly under investigation.
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Picture: Facebook / Kenilworth Centre