Man abducts child as mother queues to buy groceries
This is the shocking moment a Chinese man abducted his four-year-old son in broad daylight in front of the boy’s terrified mother.
On January 11, Pichanan Lukkaew, 45, was waiting at a Thailand supermarket checkout to buy groceries with her son, Nong, when her estranged husband ran inside.
CCTV footage shows the man sprinting into the queue where the boy stood before snatching the child and fleeing in a car.
Officers are now searching for the suspect in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, amid fears he could flee to China.
Police are hoping to find the man before he is able to remove Nong from the country.
“We are currently looking for the Chinese man before he could take the boy out of the country,” Lieutenant Colonel Pongsak Reunkam from the Maejo District Police Station said.
“We've also checked the signal of his mobile phone but he had changed his number.”
The estranged couple are reportedly in the middle of an acrimonious divorce settlement and negotiating custody of the child.
The boy's mother said she and her ex-husband had met earlier during the day for divorce court proceedings.
Ms Lukkaew said the custody agreement has not gone smoothly.
“We were not able to come to an agreement and I have been constantly harassed by him,” she said.
The frightened mother said she is worried for her son’s safety.
“I feel sorry for my child and I fear that he will be traumatised. I know that my husband has a bad temper,” she said.
A day later, the police found a grey Toyota Vios car parked outside a tennis court which they believe was owned by the Chinese man.
Airports have been alerted to prevent the man from leaving the country.
With ViralPress/Australscope
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