A message doing the rounds on social media about of the abduction of a boy at a Pretoria east school has sent parents into a frenzy.
But the police have pointed out there was no need to panic as no such abduction took place.
The message claimed that the boy was kidnapped at the Glenstantia Primary School on Wednesday afternoon, and warned parents to advise their children to “scream loud when approached by an unknown person”.
“Without giving much information, we found him and he is now safe at the Garsfontein police station,” the message read.
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The school’s principal Hennie Pretorius told Rekord the grade 5 was not abducted, but “he walked off on his own”.
“The learner was missing, he was not abducted,” said Pretorius.
Pretorius said the learner was later found safe and unharmed on the same evening.
“Abductions do happen, but luckily it was not an abduction,” he said.
Garsfontein police spokesperson Michael Nel said the police were investigating the case even though the circumstances of the incident were “suspicious”.
“The police have opened an investigation,” he said.
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“All information obtained and possible leads will be thoroughly investigated.”
Nel said police took the safety of children and the community seriously and regularly conducted awareness campaigns at crèches and schools to educate learners never to “trust a stranger or get into the vehicle of a stranger”.
He said abductions were not on the rise in the area and that there was no need for panic.
He still advised the community to always be alert and to take extra care when it came to the safety of their children, loved ones as well as their own personal safety.
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