A two-year-old boy, who was stuck in the car after his mother left him alone as she moved out to buy some groceries, was rescued by police in the UAE.
The country’s Federal Public Prosecution tweeted that the boy, who was in child’s car seat, was stuck in the car, as the car doors automatically locked after his mother moved out and headed to a store for shopping.
When she arrived at the store, she parked the car in the parking lot and left the car. The child was alone in the car seat with a seat belt on, local media reports said.
“The mother was shocked when she returned to the car after shopping and wasn’t able to open the car because the doors locked themselves. She had left the key inside the car and didn’t know the reason why the car locked its doors with the child inside,” police officers were quoted as saying.
The Federal Prosecutors reportedly pointed out that when the mother realised that her child was in danger as she couldn’t open the car, she rushed to call for help.
Read: Dubai Police warns parents not to leave kids inside vehicles
“She contacted the police who arrived at the store in less than 5 minutes. The police expert managed to open the doors of the car and removal the child who was found in a good condition,” said police officers.
If there was delay, the child’s health condition could have worsened or might have died due to suffocation a result of being confined inside the locked vehicle, they added.
Leaving a child unattended in a car, according to the UAE authorities, is a crime punishable with a fine of not less than AED 5,000. This may be accompanied by a jail sentence.
