Beijing police review shopping mall kidnapping case following appeal against 'lenient punishment'

Beijing police said Friday that they will review a case after a couple complained that the punishment for four women who attempted to abduct their 11-month-old son at a shopping center was way too lenient.

The father claimed in his Sina Weibo microblog that three women attempted to kidnap his son in a shopping mall in Beijing’s Fengtai District around 10:30am on October 2. Their attempt failed after other people hearing his wife‘s cry for help came to her rescue.

After investigation, police didn’t establish a case, the post said. Police gave the three women, along with a fourth accomplice, an administrative detention of five days, saying the four had mistaken the baby for the grandson of the accomplice, caused a scene and disturbed public order, according to police documents posted online by the father.

Outraged by the results, the father accused Fengtai District police of downplaying the violent case.

He claimed that one of the women, Sha Guolan, 39, tried to grab the baby who was fastened to a stroller while two women took hold of his wife. His wife and the trio engaged in a violent tug-of-war, during which both his wife and son suffered scratches.

The Beijing Public Security Bureau said on its official microblog on Friday that they are “attaching great importance to the case and have formed a task force to review it.” 

“We will publish the results of the investigation in a timely manner,” said the police statement. “We have always clamped down on criminal cases involving underage children.”

The statement also said police welcome public supervision of their investigation.