By Muslih Al-Harbi
Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINA – Madina Police successfully foiled an attempt to abduct a seven-year old girl by a 20-year-old man with a prior criminal record who tricked the girl into riding his car and sped off.
The girl’s family reported her missing when she failed to appear. Within two hours, police arrested the kidnapper after the girl was found on the highway, 20 kilometers away from Madina.
The kidnapper fearing arrest dumped her on the highway before speeding off. A passing motorist noticing her frantic waving picked her up and took her to a police station. The girl was sent to hospital to check for indications of physical abuse.
Police recognized the kidnapping attempt to be of a criminal with priors who had used similar methods in abducting girls. The girl recognized the abductor’s picture and the youth was arrested. He admitted the crime.
Col. Fahd Al-Ghanam, Madina Police spokesman, said the family reported their daughter missing after she had left the house to buy something at the nearby grocery shop but had not returned back.
“The criminal was arrested and the medical report issued by the hospital stated that besides a slight contusion around the girl’s left eye, she was unharmed,” he added.