A seven-year-old boy narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt in broad daylight near a fast-food restaurant in Pasir Gudang, Johor. The incident occurred on Wednesday (May 11) around 11:30 a.m., when a man tried to lure the child by offering him a ride on his motorcycle. The boy refused, but the situation escalated as the man dragged him across the road, according to The Star.
A passing car’s dashcam recorded part of the incident, and the footage, posted by UtusanTV on TikTok, quickly went viral, amassing over 7.2 million views. In the video, members of the public could be seen responding to the child’s cries for help. A group of bystanders grew suspicious and approached the man, questioning if the child was his.
When the man falsely claimed that the boy was an orphan, the boy tearfully insisted he had parents. As the suspect tried to flee, more bystanders gave chase, yelling for others to block his escape. The police arrived shortly after and arrested the man, who was found to be a mental patient and also wanted for a drug offense.
The suspect, who tested positive for drugs, is now under investigation for kidnapping under Section 363 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison or a fine. Netizens praised the alertness of the bystanders who stepped in to save the boy.