CAIRO: Nearly a month ago, a mother of two decided to take her children out to the gargantuan CityStars mall - a popular treat for the young.Little did she know that this would be the last time she saw both her offspring. This is how the horrifying rumor circulating amongst women in Egypt begins. Her two sons, a five-year-old and a five month-old, were kidnapped and have yet to be found. After authorities failed to find her two sons and amidst rising fears that they might not be found alive, the mother has suffered a nervous breakdown and is currently hospitalized. According to the rumors, she was casually roaming one of the stores, when in the "blink of an eye her five-month-old son disappeared. She immediately started asking the people around her if they had seen the baby stroller that was beside her just a second ago. When everyone told her they hadn't seen anything, an "elderly, very elegant woman came up to her and told her to leave her older son with her and go report her younger son's disappearance to the authorities. "I'm like your mother, I'll take care of him, she said. By the time the mother went to report her younger son and came back to collect her five-year-old, she found that he too had disappeared with the elderly woman. Listeners admit that leaving a child with a complete stranger was somewhat naïve. However, "When you're in the situation, you're tense and sometimes you take uncalculated actions, the story teller explains. Mobile messages have circulated amongst women in Cairo warning mothers against taking their children to the mall, saying that "children have gone missing and are usually found dead with their organs detached. Rumors have been circulating that more than two children were kidnapped at the mall by a professional mob working in the organ trading mafia. However, CityStars management has denied that any kidnapping incident occurred at the mall. Elhamy El-Kerdany, CityStars general manager for operations and tenant relations told the press that the mall is equipped with the latest security equipment, including high-tech cameras at each and every corner of the mall. "Security officials at the monitoring room are always on the watch, in addition to policemen regularly patrolling the mall's floors, he said. The mall is equipped with over 300 security cameras, spread in all floors, connected to 60 monitors in the control room. The Ministry of Interior has issued a statement defending the complex, saying they have not received any missing children reports. However, El-Kerdany's statements were met with anger when a father, Hazem, appeared on several satellite talk shows, saying the nanny taking care of his 11-month-old daughter was subjected to an attempt to bribe her to give up the baby. According to the nanny, a man came up to her while the baby's mother was in a store, and told her, "I can give you $500, and then asked her if the baby was too heavy for her and offered to carry the child. The mother came out of the store and the man left immediately. When the nanny told her boss the story, the mother reported the incident to El-Kerdany who checked the surveillance tapes and said the man did not attempt to grab the child, and could have just wanted to bribe the nanny to work for him. Hazem, though, argues that it does not take much more to kidnap a child. "The insinuation was clear when the stranger offered to carry the child and the mall has to take stricter measures to secure the place. CityStars, Cairo's largest shopping mall, is part of the mega project developed by the Saudi Golden Pyramids Plaza on a leasable area of 170,000 square meters. According to El-Kerdany, over 200,000 visitors come into the complex every week and security measures are at the top of their agenda. Nevertheless, the issue remains hanging and the truth is yet to be revealed, but woman accompanying children have been cautious since the rumors and mobile messages circulated. "I haven't taken any of my three children to CityStars since I got the SMS a month ago and I tell all my friends to go alone, Sherifa El-Nahas said. With the arrival of the summer crowds CityStars is expected to raise its security standards to confront the rumors that could affect visitor numbers and sales.
