A 5-year-old girl abducted from outside her home yesterday was heard screaming in Chinese, ‘‘Let me go. I don't know you.''
But only her cousin, aged 8, understood.
The grandparents of Cina Ma believe if she had screamed for help in English neighbours may have been able to save her.
Last night, they feared she had been taken from outside her home in the wealthy Albany subdivision of Harrowglen for ransom.
‘‘Why kidnap my granddaughter? Is it for the money?'' Qi When Zhou asked.
‘‘Then why have we not heard anything about a ransom? We are getting very worried,'' Mr Zhou said.
Cina Ma was riding her bike on the footpath when the sole occupant and driver of a silver car grabbed her and put her in the vehicle before speeding off.
She had been playing with her cousin, Max, who lives a few houses away from her with his mother and the children's grandparents, when the masked man approached about 12.30pm.
Cina, who is on holiday from the nearby private Kristin School, was being looked after by a nanny, who was inside the house at the time with her 3-year-old sister.
Cina and Max's grandparents spoke to the The New Zealand Herald in their native language, Mandarin, outside their home last night.
Ping Zhou said she had not seen what had happened to her granddaughter but had been told by neighbours in the subdivision, which has a large Asian community, how Cina reacted.
‘‘Cincin screamed so loudly ‘Let me go, I don't know you' that half the neighbourhood heard, but I think no-one knew what she was saying because she was yelling in Mandarin.''
She said Cina must have put up quite a struggle, as she kicked off both her shoes, which have been taken by the police as evidence.
Cina's parents were estranged and only her mother lived at the house but both parents were being interviewed by police last night, along with Max and his mother. Their house is on the market.
Mrs Zhou said Cina's father - her son-in-law - had dropped Cina off at the house on Sunday night after spending the day with her.
Both parents are believed to work in the building industry and had built houses in the new subdivision.
Neighbours last night described the little girl as beautiful and friendly and said they feared for their own children's safety.
Police cordoned off part of the street last night while officers went door to door speaking to neighbours and friends of the family.
Photos of Cina had been circulated to airports and staff were asked to keep an eye out for her.
