Man abducts girl, 10, abandons her in forest

BACARRA, Ilocos Norte – A ten-year-old girl, Kimie (not her real name) was allegedly abducted while playing with her two friends in a neighborhood in Barangay 8 of this town Wednesday night, police said.

S/Inps. Jephre Taccad, police chief, said that an unidentified motorcycle rider approached the three and introduced himself as cousin of Kimie’s mother.

Taccad said the suspect asked the three girls to ride with him and to accompany him to see Kimie’s mother.
Initial investigation showed that the suspect later dropped two of the girls in a roadside and took Kimie with him to a nearby barangay. He left the victim in a forested area and sped away.

The victim’s parents and close relatives immediately sought police assistance to locate Kimie’s whereabouts until they found her wandering in Brgy. Bani, of this town.

Police said they were still clueless about the motive of the abduction. At press time, the suspect is still at large.
S/I Taccad appealed to parents to closely watch over their children at all times to avoid similar incidents. Kids too should be advised to be wary in dealing with suspicious-looking strangers.

As this developed, town Mayor Nicomedes dela Cruz said he directed all tanods and BPATs to conduct regular barangay patrols in their respective areas. (tsg)