Four men arrested over ‘attempted abduction’ of five young girls in East Yorkshire after passerby forced to intervene
FOUR men have been arrested over an alleged attempted abduction of five young girls after a passerby was forced to intervene.
Humberside Police said two incidents were reported in the Scalby Lane area of Gilberdyke at around 7.30pm on June 26.
The men, aged 39, 39, 31 and 30, have since been released on conditional bail.
But police said they are treating the incident “incredibly seriously” and urged for anyone with footage, such as from CCTV or dashcam, to get in touch.
They also encouraged anyone with information to come forward.
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “We were called with reports that men in a vehicle had approached three young girls and asked them to get in the vehicle. One of the girls called her parents who came to collect the children.
“We then had a further call from a different person reporting that a group of men had been behaving suspiciously towards two 9-year-old girls outside a shop.
“A passerby intervened and the girls were able to leave safely.
“Enquiries were carried out and four men (aged 39, 39, 31 and 30) were arrested on suspicion of attempted child abduction a short time later in connection with the reports.
“One of the 39-year-old men was also arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with another incident.”
Detective Inspector Samantha Chester said at the time: “I understand incidents of this nature will cause alarm amongst the local community, and I would like to offer my reassurance that we always treat this type of report incredibly seriously.
“I’d like to thank the member of the public who intervened when they spotted the men acting suspiciously towards the girls, allowing them to leave the area safely on their bikes as well as the parents who called it in to us.
“The four men have since been released on conditional bail whilst detectives continue exploring extensive lines of enquiry.
“I would appeal to anyone with information that may assist with our enquiries, or has dashcam or CCTV footage from the area around the time the incidents occurred, to please contact us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference 24*89645.”