VIDEO: Girl escapes alleged abduction attempt in Johannesburg south

A fast-thinking 13-year-old girl saved herself from possible abduction at The Glen Shopping Centre in the south of Johannesburg on Tuesday.

According to the girl’s father, a woman tried to lure his daughter into a lift with her.

His daughter told him that when she and her mother were inside a store, her mother asked her to fetch an item from the car, where her dad was waiting.

“A woman followed her and, in front of the lift, she asked her to come with her. My daughter resisted and waited for another lift.

“When she finally got into the lift, the women jumped into the lift with her, although there were other people [in the lift]. As the lift opened, my daughter quickly ran to the car and related to me what had transpired,” explained the father.

They then went to the security guards where they watched CCTV footage. The footage showed that the woman did say something to the girl before entering the lift, the father said.

“Fortunately, the woman was located and security took her for questioning. She was caught, and we waited for Moffat View SAPS. While waiting for the police, we asked to see the management and they were not available. The security personnel handled the matter until CPF members arrived and took over.

“When [questioned] by the CPF, the lady said she was sent by her boyfriend from Eldorado Park to come and get any girl. I mean this could lead to a bigger syndicate. It was [attended to] promptly, however, the security seemed nonchalant about the matter,” the father said.

“When the police finally came, they said they couldn’t arrest the woman as there was no concrete evidence, although they saw what happened on the footage.

“They would only take her to the police station and check [her] fingerprints for any other crime.”

The Automated Fingerprint Identification System showed no links to previous crimes.

The mother and father said human trafficking is rife in the country and the matter should have been taken more seriously.

According to the father, the police confirmed that the centre security has issued a banning order for the woman.

When the Southern Courier communicated with The Glen’s management, it was established that this was the first reported incident at the centre. The centre said it has various security measures and protocols in place to manage incidents that may occur while in a public space, including 24-hour security.

In a statement issued by the centre, it said: “Centre management is aware of the alleged attempted kidnapping incident that occurred on January 30, at 16:47.

“The parents of a minor reported that a female suspect had attempted to kidnap their child. The minor was en route from her mother, located inside the centre, to her father, waiting in the parking area, when the alleged incident occurred in an elevator.

“Once reported, the female suspect was tracked via CCTV footage within 20 minutes and apprehended for questioning by our Fidelity Security team. As such, the matter was escalated to SAPS, which arrived on-site to further handle the allegation and investigation. A decision was made by SAPS not to arrest the suspect, due to insufficient evidence.

“At The Glen Shopping Centre, the safety and security of our shoppers, tenants and personnel remains our number one priority.”