A 37-year-old Romanian man was arrested Saturday, February 14, 2026, after allegedly attempting to abduct a one-and-a-half-year-old girl from an Esselunga supermarket in Bergamo, Italy. The incident underscores the potential for such crimes even in seemingly safe public spaces.
According to police reports, the man grabbed the child by the legs as her family was exiting the store on Via Corridoni around 1:00 PM local time. He then attempted to pull her inside the supermarket, forcibly trying to separate her from her mother, who was holding her hand.
The mother resisted and called for help, although the child’s father quickly intervened to restrain the suspect. Several bystanders and security personnel also assisted in holding the man until police arrived.
Officers secured the scene and took the man into custody. Investigations, including witness statements and security footage analysis, confirmed the details of the attempted abduction. The young girl was taken to a hospital for evaluation, where doctors discovered she had sustained a femoral fracture during the struggle.
The suspect is now in jail, facing charges of aggravated attempted kidnapping – due to the victim’s age – and aggravated assault. He has no prior criminal record, police said.
