Hunt for driver of white van after attempted child abduction in Tullamarine
A second attempted child abduction has shocked Melbourne with police now on the hunt for another man after he tried to kidnap a 14-year-old girl in the city’s northwest.
Police & Courts
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Police are on the hunt for a man following an attempted child abduction in Melbourne’s northwest — the second to be revealed by police in two days.
Officers were told an unknown man driving a white van approached a girl walking along Spring St in Tullamarine asking her to get in his vehicle on Wednesday about 5.45pm.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Grace Botterill said the victim, a 14-year-old girl, made her way to a nearby park to get away from the driver after he asked her where she lived.
“At the time she was walking a white Toyota Hiace van with roof racks that was following her stopped alongside her,” she said.
“The male driver spoke to her and asked her where she lived, and at that point, in a quite determined way told her to get in the van.
“The girl ignored the male driver and then walked across the road to the park where she saw some people and the male driver, at that point, turned around and left the area.”
It’s believed the man drove west on Spring St before then performing a U-turn and driving east on Broadmeadows Rd.
When the victim arrived home, she told her mum who called the police.
Sen-Constable Botterill said the girl was quite shaken from the encounter.
“It’s very distressing, an alarming incident, and I won’t go to specifics of how she is going emotionally at this time, but understandably, she’s a young woman, and this is quite frightening for her.”
Police are asking for anyone with CCTV from the area or possible dashcam footage to come forward and to keep an eye out for the driver.
Police said the man was Middle Eastern in appearance, about 50 years old and had a thick accent, grey hair and a grey beard and was wearing a white T-shirt.
It was “concerning” this was the second reported kidnapping in Melbourne in under two weeks Sen-Constable Botterill said, but she doesn’t believe the incidents are related and a larger police presence was expected in the areas.
“At this stage, we’re not looking at them as being connected,” she said.
“Very clearly, a different vehicle and a different description of offender, but just generally speaking, it is concerning.
“We’ve got resources that we are directing at an investigating this, we’ve got extra patrols, and we’re adequately resourced to investigate this and discover who that person was and where that van is.”
Police have released vision and images of a white van in the hope that someone may be able to assist with their inquiries.
It comes after another man also attempted to abduct an 11-year-old boy while he was walking home along Halley St in Blackburn about 3.45pm on November 18.
The man — who was not known to the boy — was driving a white van when he pulled onto the wrong side of the road, rolled down his window and told the boy that his mum asked him to give him a lift home.
The young boy declined the offer and the man then took off in his vehicle.
Anyone with information, CCTV/dashcam footage or who witnessed the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto crimestoppers.com.au
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