The management of Cresta Shopping Centre is committed to assisting in investigations after there was an alleged attempted kidnapping of a toddler at one of its stores on November 12th.
Northcliff Melville Times previously reported that two parents had their child almost taken away from them by an alleged suspect while browsing in one of the Centre’s stores.
According to the boy’s mother, they took their toddler to the mall for an ice-cream on that day and browsed in the store.
“There was also another guy in there which I thought was staff as well. He was an Afrikaans man in his thirties,” said the mother.
According to her, the man started asking the couple questions about their son.
“He said our boy was very beautiful,” she said and alleged that the man was on drugs at the time.
While they were leaving the store, the woman heard her husband calling for her.
“This man had picked up our boy and started leaving the store ,” she said. Her husband then grabbed their son and the man escaped.
According to the mother, they tried to chase the man, but he got lost in the crowd.
The mother alleged that the mall’s CCTV cameras were not working at the time, which was denied by the Cresta Security and Centre Management team who spoke on behalf of the mall.
Centre Management said they have reviewed the footage but the activities inside the store cannot be seen, only that they can see the suspect leaving the store followed by the father who had his son in his arms.
General Manager Virginia Bester said the mall’s security team had taken cognisance of the incident.
“We were naturally very concerned to hear of the incident as we endeavour to create a safe, secure shopping experience for all shoppers and have taken many precautions to eliminate crime from the Centre,” she said.
The mall is investigating the incident and has reviewed CCTV footage, seeking to obtain any information that could assist with the identifying and apprehension of the suspect and to ensure all is done in future to avoid an incident of this nature.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to assist with any ongoing investigation and to take any action to ensure the safety of our shoppers,” she said, “we are mostly grateful that the family were able to retrieve their son safely, “completed Bester.
*Northcliff Melville Times previously reported that the suspect had been caught, detained and released. It has since transpired that this was not the case.
