Man is arrested over ‘kidnapped boy hoax’
POLICE probing a reported child kidnap have arrested a man on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, it was revealed yesterday.
The suspect was held after extensive inquiries into the so-called abduction drew a blank.
Detectives launched a search after a witness said a boy aged about six was dragged off the street and driven away in a black van.
The hunt involved 130 officers, dog handlers, forensic experts and specialist detectives. A police helicopter was scrambled to the scene in Redhill, Surrey, shortly after the kidnap alert last Thursday.
Detectives made a national appeal with a description of the boy and the VW Transporter. CCTV footage was scoured and house-to-house inquiries were carried out.
A child’s bike found at the scene was forensically examined. But police discovered it had been there for days before the kidnap report.
There have been no reports of a missing child linked to the case.
Surrey Police confirmed yesterday that the investigation – codenamed Operation Bigfoot – had drawn a blank. A spokesman said: “A man has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with a suspected child abduction in Redhill.”
Police stressed they had no reason “to disbelieve the account of the witness and had to act quickly to prevent what was suspected to be a risk to the life of a child”.
Detective Superintendent Pete Fulton, the senior investigating officer, said: “Reports of this nature are extremely rare.
“We are sure the public understand that, when information such as this is received, we treat it extremely seriously and must do all we can to investigate what’s happened.”
The arrested man has been released on bail.