Police investigate report child was snatched from Lidl trolley

A woman says she turned back to her trolley to find two strangers holding her son, and needed a stranger to help get him back

Police say they are investigating reports two people snatched a child from a trolley in a branch of Lidl. The child's mum described the incident as a "terrifying" ordeal.

Police say they have had reports of an attempted kidnapping at a branch of Lidl in Exeter, reports DevonLive. The mum says a man and woman took her young son out of her trolley while she wasn't looking.

She says that when she confronted them they claimed he was their child. She said she was able to get her son back with the help of a stranger who intervened.

The incident has now been shared on social media in a post that has been widely circulated across local Facebook groups. The mum, who has asked to remain anonymous, said in the post: "Just went there with my little boy and a man and woman, aged approximately late 30s / early 40s have just tried to take him from me whilst he was sat in the trolley.

"The man was about 6ft with mousey brown hair and the woman about 5ft 5 with blonde hair. Both wearing black coats/jackets and were foreign.

"Absolute worst experience and I would hate for them to actually get away with someone else's child. Also thank you to the man who helped me during the whole thing, I never got your name but God knows what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped in to help."

She described the incident as "absolutely terrifying" as she claimed the two people tried to wheel her son away. While the child is physically unharmed, the mum says he was "a bit clingy" when they returned home.

Devon & Cornwall Police say they are carrying out an investigation. It's understood that no arrests have yet been made as officers continue to establish the circumstances of the incident.

A spokesperson for Devon & Cornwall Police said: "Police enquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident."