Surrey kidnap: Young boy 'forced into van' sparks urgent police abduction appeal

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A young boy was reportedly forced into a van in a suspected kidnap in Surrey, prompting a major police appeal.

The child, who is around six to seven years-old, was spotted by a passer-by being taken into a black Volkswagen Transporter at 4.45pm in Redhill on Thursday.

A bicycle thought to belong to the child was discovered at the scene.

In a statement, Superintendent Bex Smith said: “This is an incident we are taking extremely seriously and are asking for anyone with any information regarding the child, the van or what happened to come forward.

The boy is believed to be approximately four feet tall and was wearing a red t-shirt with navy blue jeans.

Surrey Police described the van as a “black, modified, VW Transporter with an '02 registration plate.”

The vehicle had three BBS alloy wheels, with one missing on the front left side. It also had chrome sidesteps, a sliding side door and no rear windows.

The small Frantic Giant mountain bike left behind had a silver frame with black and yellow detail.

“So far we have had no reports of missing children that match that description in that location,” Superintendent Chris Edwards of Surrey Police told Sky News.

“If you were in the area, perhaps commuting to or from Redhill train station at the time please get in touch with us if you saw anything suspicious.”

Since the alleged abduction, Surrey Police have been working with the National Police Air Service to locate the boy.

Superintendent Smith confirmed: “At this stage we are not ruling out a number of options, including whether the child and the person in the van know each other.”

Surrey Police Force has urged anyone with information to call 101, or 999 in an emergency.