The horrified mother of an 11-year-old girl who was nearly snatched off the street by a stranger has praised the hero shopper who saved her daughter, saying, “I can’t thank her enough.”
The mother – who is not naming MailOnline to protect the identity of the victim – also warned other parents to be vigilant after her daughter was attacked as she exited a newsagent’s in broad daylight on a busy shopping street in south east London.
The girl’s mother wrote online: “Make sure your children are safe. Thank God for the lovely lady who saved my daughter from kidnapping. I can’t thank her enough.’
Two men had followed the youngster into the shop, but one left and waited for her outside a neighboring charity shop. When she came out, he approached her and tried to convince her to go with him, until a quick-thinking customer intervened.
The girl lives with her two other siblings in a semi-detached house near Shriji News in West Wickham, near Bromley.
- Did you witness the incident or did you know the woman? Email tom.pyman@mailonline.co.uk
Detectives investigating a suspected kidnapping attempt have released footage of two men they want to identify and speak to – one of the men pictured
One of the police men is eager to speak as they investigate a suspected kidnapping attempt
But less than 30 seconds later, she steps out of the store to intervene in what the police suspect was an attempted kidnapping, asking the girl if she needed help.
The man appears to be protesting with the woman as she stands in the doorway of the store, out of camera view, beckoning the child in
He then walks away as the young girl follows the woman inside
The Good Samaritan intervened when she feared the girl was about to be snatched from the street after hearing two men ask the 11-year-old if she was alone.
Exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline shows a man approaching the girl on the street while she is standing alone outside a store. He starts talking to the child as he seems to try to lead her away.
Just as the girl appears to be following the man, a woman in a green dress runs out of a store and puts a hand on her shoulder while seemingly urging her not to go with him. The three continue to talk before the man finally gives a thumbs up and walks away.
A shopkeeper said the man and a male companion kept a close eye on the girl, “and to see if anyone was with her.” He told MailOnline that moments earlier, the men had “asked in Hindi for mobile phone top-up vouchers.”
The incident happened before the start of the summer holidays on a Saturday morning in June, but the police have only now issued a call for CCTV.
The video shows how the woman walks past the man and the girl moments earlier with a black shopping bag over her shoulder.
She walks into a Mind charity shop next to the newsagent, but watches the girl just before she enters.
The customer re-enters the street 25 seconds later and tells the man to leave before beckoning the girl to come with her to the charity shop where she called the police.
The suspected kidnapper, who was believed to be nearby with another man, walked away.
She must have overheard him asking the girl if she was alone and quickly intervened.
Police say the encounter took place at 11:45am on June 24 on West Wickham High Street near Bromley, south-east London.
Two men are now being hunted by the police and their images were circulated yesterday.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police revealed that images of the men were captured on CCTV as they followed the girl in Shriji News.
The store’s owner, Maunil Patel, 35, told MailOnline: ‘I saw the girl come in first, I’ve seen her before because she lives nearby, and two men I haven’t seen yet came in shortly after.
The Good Samaritan was seen in the footage walking past Shriji News to a Mind charity shop next door (above) – before returning to the newsagent after suspecting something was wrong
“The girl looked around the store for a few minutes and the men watched her closely, watching what she was doing and maybe checking to see if anyone was with her.
“One of the men then came to the counter and asked me about mobile phone top-up vouchers in Hindi.
He went out of the store first and turned right. The security camera shows him waiting outside the thrift store.
“The girl bought something—sweets, I think—and walked out of my store and past the man waiting outside the store next door.
He followed her a bit and asked her something that made her turn around. He had apparently asked her if she was alone and if she needed help.
“At that time, a woman in a long turquoise dress walked into the charity shop, but looked at them as she entered. She was clearly concerned about what was going on.
A few seconds later, she came out of the store and challenged the man. I heard her tell him she was going to call the police and she asked the girl to come with her.
‘The girl, who was now quite confused and frightened, entered the store with the woman. The man hung around for a while, then walked off toward Natwest Bank on the other side of the road.”
The young girl was walking on the High Street in West Wickham, Bromley, South East London (file image)
The Met has released footage of the two men they want to speak with. One is wearing a gray long-sleeved top, the other is wearing a white T-shirt.
A police spokesman said: ‘Detectives investigating an attempted kidnapping have released footage of two men they wish to identify and talk to.
At 11.45am on Saturday 24th June, an 11-year-old girl was approached by a man in the High Street, West Wickham, who tried to convince her to come with him.
A member of the public, noticing that the child looked nervous, intervened and took her to a shop.
“Agents would like to hear who can name the men in the footage.
“If you can name them or if you have information that may support this investigation, please call 911 or tweet @MetCC and quote 3430/24JUN23.”
The incident came just days after another suspected kidnapping in south London, where a man tried to encourage a child to get into his silver Ford Transit van during a school drive.
A parent reported that someone tried to kidnap their child on Purneys Road in Greenwich, trying to lure them into the back, but the parent intervened in the nick of time.