Woman gets beaten by angry mob after trying to snatch toddler from stroller in China

By Lam Min Lee
AsiaOne
April 12, 2017

A grandmother in Chengdu, China, had taken her grandson out to buy some fruits in her neighbourhood last Sunday (April 9) when a middle-aged woman approached them and asked whether she could hug the boy.

After refusing the request, the grandmother did not expect the woman to snatch the two-year-old from his stroller.

CCTV footage of the area showed the two women struggling to get hold of the child as the grandmother cried out for help.

When she realised that nearby residents were approaching, the woman gave up and fled.

However, she met with an angry mob that beat her.

In another video clip, the handcuffed woman was seen lying on the road while others kicked at her head. 

She was eventually dragged away by police officers. 

According to Chinese media, the woman's family told the police that she was suffering from mental illness. 

She has been subsequently sent for psychiatric assessment. 

On Weibo, many netizens applauded the residents' actions and said that the woman deserved the beating. 

Meanwhile, others raised doubts on whether she was a human trafficker, noting that her behaviour was uncharacteristic of a criminal. 

minlee@sph.com.sg

AsiaOne