A mum was caught up in a desperate tug-of-war to stop a woman from snatching her baby, screaming 'he's not yours.'
The mum was outside a toy shop with her two-year-old by their pram when the nightmare unravelled in broad daylight.
Police warned other parents to be vigilant as the hunt for the would-be kidnapper intensifies in Reading, Berkshire.
The mum, who hasn't been named, recalled how the attempted child snatch happened after she left The Entertainer on Tuesday.
Posting on the community Facebook group Reading Gossip Girls, the mother said: "Out with my two-year-old son and two friends with their children when I was approached by a woman who threatened me and tried to take my child.
"She screamed at me to stay away from my own child, threw down her bag and tried to grab him off of the floor.
"I quickly pulled him away and asked her not to touch my child and to leave us alone which she replied 'get off him he's not your son'."
The mother said she won the desperate tug-of-war to stop the stranger taking away her boy, as other shoppers stared in amazement at the tussle.
She contacted the police who advised her to go to the nearest shop, Primark, and to wait inside.
Thames Valley Police said "We are investigating an incident that happened on Broad Street at around 1.30pm on Tuesday.
"A woman has approached a mother who was pushing her child in a pushchair.
"The offender has then started shouting abuse at the mother, asking why her child was upset.
"The child has then become more upset due to the offender shouting, and the child has thrown themselves on the floor.
"The offending woman has then moved towards the child with her hands out.
"The mother has then picked up her child and moved away. She then called police.
"An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 43230179675.
"This is currently being investigated as an incident of public order."
