A mother was reunited with her son after a stranger took her car with her son inside.
Police said the woman left the silver BMW 218D parked in the Union Street area of Larkhall, Lanarkshire, for a few minutes at around 4.15pm on Tuesday and when she returned the car was gone.
A short time later a young man was seen getting out of the car after attempting to drive it back to the same location.
The child was found safe and sound in the back of the vehicle.
The young man is described as white, of slim build, around 5ft 9in and between 17 and 20 years old.
He was wearing a dark shirt with the hood up and dark pants at the time of the incident.
Union Street in Larkhall, Lanarkshire, where the incident took place.
Inspector Jim Mutter said: “Thankfully the child was not injured, but it was an extremely disturbing experience for the mother and our inquiries are ongoing to locate the young man who was seen driving in and out of the car.”
‘We are asking anyone in the area at the time to check private CCTV and dash cameras to see if they have captured anything that may help us.
“We are also particularly interested in speaking to two elderly women who were sitting on a nearby bench, as they may have vital information that could assist us in our investigations.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2136 of Tuesday 31 December 2024.