A store guard in a Siberian city has reportedly called in an armed rapid response team – who are meant to deal with robberies and similar threats – after catching a 7-year-old girl, who failed to pay for a lollipop.

The absurd situation developed on Friday morning in Tomsk, a major Russian city in western Siberia, according to a report by Interfax news agency. The guard, who was working for a local grocery store chain, apparently caught a suspected shoplifter – or the candy she wanted to buy was simply missed.

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It’s not clear how things escalated so quickly, but the guard then requested an armed rapid response team from his security firm. The heavily-armed unit, trained in dealing with threats from bandits or volatile hooligans, were reportedly puzzled as to why their presence was needed to deal with a first-grade school student.

The conflict was resolved when the little girl’s mother showed up and tearfully pleaded for the child’s release.

The owner of the shop would not immediately comment on the report while local police said they were investigating what exactly happened.

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