Babysitter in custody after brutally beating toddler in elevator

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An abusive nanny in Zhenghou City, central China’s Henan Province, has been arrested after she was caught on camera brutally beating a toddler in her care, in the latest episode of a string of child abuse cases involving preschool teachers and babysitters that have rocked the country this year.

The suspect was threatening to hit the crying kid. /Screenshot of video by the Paper

In a chilling video captured by a security camera in an elevator, the 42-year-old woman, identified by her surname Li, could be seen raising her hand against a crying baby, no older than three years of age, and threatening to welt him.

She then proceeded to throw a flurry of fists, repeatedly striking the child on the head and chest.

The babysitter throws punches at the baby while in her arms in the elevator. /Screenshot via Miaopai video

With the toddler wailing harder, she continued to punch with all her might before throwing the defenseless youngster in the stroller, and aggressively rocking the pushchair back and forth until the elevator door opened.

Having been notified about the shocking assault, the toddler’s mother reported the case to the police, who later took the nanny into custody, according to an announcement by local law enforcing authorities on China’s Twitter-like Weibo on Saturday.

The nanny throws the baby in the stroller. /Screenshot of Miaopai video

The child is reportedly in good condition, despite the rough handling.

The heart-wrenching clip, posted online on Saturday, triggered public outrage and re-ignited a heated debate about the chaotic nanny industry in the country.

The post that revealed the cruel incident by Beijing News has already been shared over 17,000 times since Saturday, with more than 34,000 comments expressing concern over the safety of children left in the care of nannies, who appear to be good-tempered in the presence of the parents but misbehave behind their backs.

The official announcement released on Saturday by local police station in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province. /Weibo screenshot

In July this year, a housekeeper in central China's Hunan Province was caught on film slapping a one-year-old baby on the face, and striking him with a broom. A month earlier, a nanny murdered three kids, aged six and 11, of whom she was in charge, and their mother by setting their house in Hangzhou, eastern province of Zhejiang, on fire.

And if certain homes are no longer safe for kids in the company of suspicious babysitters, neither are some schools.

A teacher at a Ctrip day care center in Shanghai maltreats the children. /Screenshot of Miaopai video

High-profile child abuse cases in China at daycare centers have made headlines in the previous months.

In November, a kindergarten affiliated to the Shanghai Women's Federation (SWF) and online travel service provider Ctrip was suspended with four of its staff detained, after children there were found to have been hit, and forced to eat wasabi.

RYB Education /CGTN Photo

A few weeks ago, accusations surfaced that preschoolers at a private kindergarten of RYB Education in Beijing were pricked with needles, and forced to take unknown medicines.