Police in the UK have arrested two teenage girls on suspicion of kidnapping a toddler from a Primark store in Newcastle.
It is understood the arrests were made earlier today, after the three-year-old tot was taken from the store in Newcastle city centre at approximately 5pm on Wednesday evening. The little girl’s disappearance prompted police to launch a city-wide search after she had left the store with two unknown teenage girls.
Thankfully the little girl was found unharmed a short time later after Police officers searched through the city’s CCTV footage. It is believed the tot was found nearly three miles away in Gosforth, north Newcastle, by a police officer. The alleged kidnappers, young teenage girls thought to be aged 13 and 14 respectively, were arrested on suspicion of child abduction and taken in for questioning this afternoon.
Chief Inspector Dave Gould told reporters: “Thankfully the child was quickly located by officers and then reunited with her mother. “This has been an incredibly distressing time for the girl’s family and specialist officers are working with and supporting the family.
“We mobilised all available local police resources to make sure the girl was found as quickly as possible and also included assistance from the public, and many of our partner agencies including Newcastle local authority and university as well as staff from retail premises, bus companies, train station and metro system. “I would like to thank all of those involved for their help in finding this little girl and helping reunite her with her mother.
“Our enquiries will now continue to establish the circumstances of what happened and speaking to the two teenage girls in custody regarding the incident.”