Wild moment stranger hops into a ute and drives off with a five-year-old inside – but he insists he did the ‘right thing’

A man who jumped into a car and drove away with a five-year-old inside the vehicle insists he did the ‘right thing’ by teaching the boy’s father a lesson.

Duaraj Karishna Ramanujam, 42, pulled into the Shell Service Station on the Princes Highway at Officer, south-east Melbourne, at about 8.45am on Saturday.

He spotted a five-year-old boy sitting alone in a grey ute after his father had run inside to grab a slab of water while leaving the vehicle running. 

Mr Ramanujam hopped off his motorbike and jumped into the ute and drove away with the child still inside the vehicle. 

The 42-year-old took aim at the father for leaving his child in the car and claimed he was trying to send him a message. 

‘It’s not a big crime right? I’m saving a child, mate,’ he told 9News.

‘He left the car and the child with the engine on which is not a good thing to do. He should realise his stupidity.’

The father came outside the servo just two minutes after he’d left the car and saw it had been taken.

He rushed inside and used the business’ phone to call his mobile, which he’d left in the ute.

Mr Ramanujam said he intended to take the child to the police station before the boy’s father called him and the pair agreed to meet at Pakenham Police Station. 

Both the child’s parents met Mr Ramanujam at the police station, where Mr Ramanujam was surprised to be met with ‘distrust’ and put in handcuffs.

He told police there had been a misunderstanding as he’d simply wanted to teach the father a lesson about child safety.

Mr Ramanujam was released after speaking with Cardinia Crime Investigation Unit detectives.

He claimed he was using ‘common sense’ by taking the child and insisted it was the ‘right thing to do’.

‘My advice to them is to consider their action that led to these consequences,’ he said.