The parents of a 6-year-old boy in Guiyang, Guizhou province, had the shock of their lives when they discovered their son Xiao Hongyu had been picked up from school by an elderly man on Friday afternoon.

The parents were told by their son’s school teacher that their son had been picked up by his alleged ‘grandfather.’ School security footage showed how an unknown grey-haired man had stepped inside the classroom on June 8, and took the boy outside with him.

Soon after, the desperate mother posted the security footage images on her WeChat ‘Moments’ account, asking people for help – fearing that her child had become the target of a child trafficker.

When one person, an old classmate of the mother, recognized her own father in the images, the case was soon solved; the older man was supposed to pick his grandson Xiao Hongrui up from school, but instead took Xiao Hongyu with him.

Xiao Hongyu had been ‘missing’ for a total of four hours, a time during which his temporary ‘grandfather’ had taken him along for food shopping, and even took the little boy to the hospital to get a flu vaccine.

During an interview at the local police office, the man’s son-in-law told reporters that grandpa had just come to visit from the countryside, and was not too familiar with his own grandson’s appearance. The fact that Xiao Hongyu and Xiao Hongrui look alike and have a similar voice, as well as name, also did not help, and the man mistakingly took the wrong kid home.

Meanwhile, the man’s real grandson, Xiao Hongrui, remained at school, waiting to be picked up.

According to various Chinese media reports, Xiao Hongyu did feel the situation was not right, and tried to tell the older man that he was not his grandson. But because the man suffers from hearing impairment, he did not hear the little boy’s questions and remarks.

The school teacher in charge told reporters that the unfortunate mistake also occurred because Xiao Hongyu told his teacher that the man was “grandpa” when they asked him who the man was.

The topic became top trending on Sina Weibo on June 12. “In the eyes of a 6-year-old, every old man is a ‘grandpa,'” many people commented.

Although the majority of people find the situation humorous, there are also many netizens who feel the issue is no laughing matter, because it means abductors and child traffickers can easily pick a child up from school.

They blame the school for not checking the man’s status, the hospital for not checking the little boy’s identity, and the parents for not teaching their boy not to leave with strangers.

This is not the first time a story such as this makes headlines. In 2016, an American grandfather also took the wrong child home. In that case, the child, just like Xiao Hongyu, also confirmed to teachers that the man was his grandfather.

In the UK, in 2013, a grandfather also took the wrong child to a doctor’s appointment. The little girl’s mother later told reporters that it is “every parent’s worst nightmare.”

By Manya Koetse

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