Police do not classify incident at Teluk Bahang an attempted abduction case

Police do not classify the incident on a nine-year-old boy allegedly abducted by a group of men in a blue van at Teluk Bahang near here yesterday as a kidnapping case.

Barat Daya district police chief Supt Lai Fah Hin said police did receive a report on the incident from the boy's mother.

However he said the case could not be classified as an attempted abduction as the report was made based on what was told by the boy himself, which was dubious.

"The child claimed that a blue van with a few men insides stopped near him and acted like they wanted to kidnap him.

"Fearing for his safety, the boy fled and went home before relating the incident to his mother, who then lodged a police report," he said when contacted here on Sunday.

The incident has become viral on the social websites, especially Facebook, claiming that it was an attempted kidnap case. Lai said police could not rely on the claim by the boy alone, as no one saw the van at the scene of the alleged incident as claimed by the boy.

There were also inconsistencies in the boy's statement which was recorded by the police and what was mentioned in the police report, he added.

However, he said, police had taken necessary action, including stepping up patrol in the area.