A 29-year-old security guard has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a two-year-old boy while he was shopping with his grandmother in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon, police said in a statement released on Sunday.

It’s alleged the man took the young child out of the trolley he was in while his grandmother was making a purchase.

When the woman realised her grandson was missing she ran through the mall screaming his name, said the police’s Brigadier Jay Naicker in the statement.

“She then spotted the man attired in a security guards uniform walking into one of the shops with her grandson,” said Naicker.

“She grabbed the child from the man’s arms and reported the incident to the mall management who contacted police. Police officers from the Durban North police station arrived at the scene and viewed the CCTV footage at the mall. The suspect was immediately identified as a security guard who was on duty at the mall and he was promptly arrested.”

A case of kidnapping was opened and the man will appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula said investigators don’t know what the suspect’s motive was at this stage.

“We wish to applaud the grandmother for taking immediate action and informing authorities of the incident,” said Jula.

He urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant during the festive season.