One of the biggest threats is home invasions and kidnapping in an increasing number of nations, including South Africa. They break in at night and search kid-friendly households before robbing them of their possessions, cash, and jewels.
Sometimes attackers may abduct children and demand a ransom from the family in return for the child.
Parents had to go to work, so they asked grandmother Zelinda to watch for her grandson Lucas, who is 3 years old.
Grandma put Lucas to bed in his room after a day of fun and then went to bed. Grandma Zelinda relates the events of that evening as follows:
“I overheard some noises coming from the front door in the middle of the night. The power went off across the entire home when I attempted to turn on the light in my room. I knew right away that something wasn’t right. I walked straight to Lucas’ room and gently cuddled him without waking him up. I immediately heard footsteps coming from the ground floor of the home, indicating that someone was inside.”
“It was absolutely dark inside the house, and I was going on the roof with Lucas in my arms, my heart racing fast, and I began to quiver with panic. I made a little drop off the stairs in an effort to locate the home intruders. I walked to the kitchen and opened the entrance to the garage because I heard footsteps in the house’s living room. I was unable to go since the garage door was locked and I didn’t have the key.”
“Without waking Lucas, I popped the trunk of the car and put Lucas there gently. I wanted to shout but refrained because I felt like I was choking on terror. When I returned to the kitchen, a powerful hand grabbed me and whispered, “Don’t move, don’t make noise, where is the child?,” in a deep voice.”
“There were two men with masks. They questioned me “WHERE IS THE CHILD?” once more. When I informed them that he wasn’t at home, one of them became angry, grabbed me by the back of my head, slammed me on the floor of the living room, and yelled, “Don’t MOVE.” Using handheld flashlights, the men started looking through the home.”
“I could have gone out the door and fled, but I knew Lucas was there, so I stayed still on the floor as they instructed me. I grabbed a chair and tossed it in the living room’s huge window as soon as the men entered the kitchen. The sound was really loud, and the glass broke. The men fled in terror, oblivious of what was taking place.”
“I sprinted over to Lucas, who was still asleep, embraced him, and gave him a kiss. I broke down in uncontrollable tears. After hearing the noise, neighbors arrived.
They called the cops. Thank goodness nothing happened and nobody was injured. I used to see reports about kidnappings of children, but I never imagined it would happen to me.”
“The grandma received praise from the police and her neighbors for her composure and tenacity. And Lucas asked his grandma, “Grandma, what happened to the window?” as he noticed the shattered window in the living room.”
The Grandmother answered, “I broke it.”
“Will Mom and Dad be unhappy because you shattered the window?” Luis enquired.
The grandma remarked with a smile, “I’m sure they’ll understand.”
