Rickshaw cyclist Chen Chuanliu can't afford daycare so he has to think of a way to prevent his 2-year-old son from wandering off on his own when he has a fare.

His solution? Chain him up on a pole!

The rickshaw cyclist, from the Chinese capital Beijing, decided to put tot Lao Lu under lock and key after his four-year-old daughter Ling went missing last month.

Child snatching is rife in China where strict laws govern the size of families.

"My wife is ill and I can't stop work. So I chain him to a pole when I have a fare. It seems harsh but it is better than losing him," said Chen.

The problem is that he's probably training the kid to think like Houdini: Link