Bergamo, Italy: Man attempts to kidnap child at supermarket in video

WARNING: Distressing content. A man has allegedly attempted to kidnap a toddler in a grocery store in Northern Italy, in an incident captured on surveillance video, Italian State Police said.

The video shows a mother and her one-year-old daughter leaving a store at the Esselunga mall in Bergamo, Italy, when a man violently snatched the child.

Her mother quickly clung to her daughter to prevent the abduction.

Nearby shoppers witnessed the struggle as the man aggressively tried to pull the girl from her mother’s grasp. People both inside and outside the store rushed to intervene.

Authorities quickly responded and arrested the man. An investigation was launched based on witness statements.

“Subsequent investigations, including the collection of witness statements and analysis of video surveillance footage, allowed the judicial authorities to charge him with attempted aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault,” Italian State Police said.

The man was charged with attempted aggravated kidnapping, as the crime was allegedly committed against a minor, and aggravated bodily harm.

The toddler was taken to hospital, where doctors found she had suffered a fractured femur.

Unqualified ‘midwife’ arrested after baby dies in home birth

Meanwhile, in Russia, a woman who presented herself as a midwife despite having no formal medical training has been arrested after a baby she delivered during a home birth died.

Russian influencer Aisha Rakaeva, 27, gave birth to a baby boy in an inflatable pool at her flat in Moscow on December 13 last year. The infant was born alive but died around an hour later.

Local media reported the baby drowned after choking on amniotic fluid.

The woman who assisted with the birth, 59-year-old Natalia Kotlar, was arrested shortly after the incident.

“The baby choked on amniotic fluid,” a law enforcement source told Russian news site KP.RU.

During pregnancy, babies are surrounded by amniotic fluid, a mixture of water, nutrients and electrolytes that cushions the fetus, regulates temperature and supports lung and musculoskeletal development. Oxygen is supplied through the placenta and umbilical cord.

After birth, fluid in a newborn’s lungs is usually absorbed naturally. However, complications can arise when this does not occur. One potentially serious condition is Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN), which happens when excess fluid remains in the lungs, causing breathing difficulties. It is unclear whether Ms Rakaeva’s baby suffered from TTN.

TTN is typically diagnosed by a doctor within the first hours of life and often requires supplemental oxygen.

Kotlar described herself as an experienced psychologist, educator, head of a parenting culture centre and instructor of “Gentle Birth” courses. She had also written a book about water births, claiming to have delivered one of her five children in the Indian Ocean, and said she was frequently invited to work overseas.

However, investigators later determined she held no qualifications allowing her to practise midwifery — contrary to what Ms Rakaeva had reportedly believed.

“According to investigators, the woman, born in 1965, was not a medical professional and did not have a higher medical education or qualification in obstetrics and gynaecology,” the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Moscow said.

Kotlar has been charged with illegal medical practice and providing services that failed to meet safety standards. She reportedly denies wrongdoing and is contesting her pre-trial detention.