Cape Town mom warns of ‘cupcake sellers’ who ‘tried to snatch toddler’

A Cape Town mother claims two women selling cupcakes door-to-door attempted to kidnap her two-year-old daughter.

In a warning shared on social media, Chantel Classens, a mother of four daughters, said the pair, driving in a BMW E56, had tried to snatch her toddler from outside their Heideveld home.

However, she saw her child on the back seat and intervened.

According to Classens, one of the women came to her door to sell the baked goods for R5 while the other “lures your child”.

“I was blessed enough to stop them in time because my baby girl was on the back seat already. They told her she must go with; there is another child waiting for her and that they have cupcakes for her,” she said in a video recording shared on social media platforms.

“I always thought that this can’t happen to me or my children because I am very vigilant, very cautious when it comes to my kids. But it happened so quickly. These people pretended to be from Belgravia Road [in Athlone], trying to make an honest living selling cupcakes.”

Classens said she was further disappointed by the reaction she received when she went to the Manenberg police station to report what had happened.

“I just expected more from them. The way they treated me… I was crying at the police station and the fact that they blatantly just ignored me was very heartbreaking.”

Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said the matter had been reported to Manenberg police station management and was being investigated internally.

“Once the mother’s statement has been obtained, the circumstances surrounding the incident will also be investigated criminally,” he said.

Classens urged parents to be careful.

“Just be cautious. Speak to your children not to go to strangers, not to be lured by the fact that it’s cupcakes or sweets or whatever form of luxury [they are being coaxed with].”

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