Security guards were able to apprehend a man believed to be a kidnapper after discovering a young girl lying unconscious inside the man’s backpack, reports say.

The man, 25, reportedly attempted to kidnap the seven-year-old girl from inside the residential block where she lives in Lanzhou in Gansu province, the Lanzhou Morning News reported. He was asking for an amount of 100,000 yuan (about USD $15,388) as ransom.

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The suspected kidnapper said he needed money to start a business because he didn’t have a job, the report said. He wanted to kidnap the young girl after learning that her father was a businessman.

He reportedly followed the victim into the residential block after she went out from school for her lunch. Once there, the man abducted the young child. Before leaving the building premises, however, the kidnapper texted the family of the child and demanded the ransom money, the report said.

The family then quickly informed the residential building’s management of the kidnapping. Shortly after, security guards were sent to block all pathways going out.

The girl was found unconscious inside the closed backpack, lying near the stairs. The kidnapper, on the other hand, was discovered hiding inside a maintenance room. He was arrested shortly after

The girl was able to recover after she was brought to the hospital. The report did not say whether she was abused or not.

Kidnapping in Public

While the kidnapper’s attempt to abduct the young girl was foiled because of some interventions, some kidnappers can actually succeed simply because bystanders do not intervene or simply don’t care. That’s what a social experiment conducted in Dapeng has found out, reports Daily Mail.

The social experiment was filmed, and involved a man in a hoodie and a young kid who walks alone in different places. The man will approach the child and use some sort of chloroform rag or handkerchief to try to abduct him. A cameraman then films the public’s response. Watch the video here:

Although that was merely a social experiment, it does show the general public’s response to a crime happening right in front of them. As such, the video uploader asks people to be more vigilant and active whenever such situations occur, because they just might save a child’s life.

TagsKidnapping, abduction, ransom, Lanzhou