Hong Kong’s district councilors and parents are calling for strengthened security measures in public areas, such as including more closed-circuit televisions in discreet corners, after a three-year-old boy was snatched from a shopping mall on Wednesday.

The victim was rescued by police about half a day after the abduction in Tseung Kwan O Plaza, and two women were arrested in connection with the case. On Friday, police took one of the suspects back to the crime scene for further investigation.

Police said the kidnapped boy was with his sister at a game center in Tseung Kwan O Plaza on Wednesday afternoon when a woman suddenly came up and took the boy away, leaving a ransom note that demanded HK$5.1 million ($653,000). The suspects concealed the boy in a stroller and then placed him inside a suitcase before taking him to a nearby apartment, police said.

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The sister immediately informed her mother, who called police. The suspects then asked the mother through communications software to hand over the ransom in virtual currency, police said.

After picking up the boy, the suspects concealed him in a stroller and then placed him inside a suitcase before taking him to a nearby apartment, said police

After receiving the report, police immediately began to follow up and investigate, searching a large number of closed-circuit televisions in shopping malls. They quickly identified the hiding place and broke into an apartment on Thursday afternoon, rescuing the boy.

Police said the boy was apparently unharmed and was sleeping at the time. He was immediately hospitalized, and his situation is currently listed as stable.

Superintendent Kwan King pan of the Police Force’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau said at a news conference on Thursday that both arrested women were unemployed. One of whom had come to Hong Kong with an Exit-Entry Permit for a few days, and the other Hong Kong woman was a tenant of the apartment, he said.

After a preliminary investigation, police found that the two women had premeditated the crime and didn’t know the victim's family.

On Friday, Sai Kung District Councilor Christine Fong Kwok-shan told a local radio program that CCTV has greatly facilitated the investigation of the case, and said she hopes police will strengthen the installation of more cameras along major thoroughfares in Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O districts.

The police had previously planned to install 2,000 closed-circuit cameras in all 18 districts of Hong Kong. Fong said she believes that it is too late for the Tseung Kwan O district to install the new closed-circuit televisions in the fourth quarter of this year. She added that she hopes police will allocate more resources to accelerate the implementation of the plan.

Lam Chui-Ling, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers and an appointed member of the Kwai Tsing District council, said that in kindergartens, children are taught not to interact with strangers, to shout for help in case of suspicious situations, and to call 999 in appropriate situations.

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Lam also suggested that parents should keep a close eye on their children when taking them out, instead of focusing on letting them play on phones.

Connie Chow, a parent of a 3-year-old child, expressed deep shock over the occurrence of a child abduction case in Hong Kong, a city known for its safe social environment.

She urged fellow parents not to let their guard down, emphasizing the importance of remaining vigilant and regularly checking on their children’s well-being when taking them out.

Jane Chung, the mother of a 2-year-old, said she hopes that after the incident, security guards at shopping malls will pay more attention to children who accidentally get separated from their families and offer timely assistance.

Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com