A young girl from Ravensmead has been reunited with her family after she was kidnapped by a smooth-talking skelm.
Family and friends of Ashlin Pritchard, 11, went into a panic on Thursday when the meisie could not be found for several hours after leaving home with her neighbour, Stacey Bowers, 32.
A traumatised Stacey says a “dark man” conned her into believing he was sent by her husband.
Stacey says shortly before 3pm on Thursday, she got home where the man in a grey Toyota Tazz approached her, saying “Rolfie” had sent him.
“He told me he was from the health department and was delivering tablets, but their bakkie broke down,” she says.
“He said my husband [Johnro “Rolfie” Moos] sent him and he knew a lot of things.
“He told me the bakkie was being tracked and he needed to check on the location.”
She says she believed him and he came into the house where she tried to get the specific phone he asked for.
“Ashlin had a Huawei P5, so I asked her. She is my neighbour’s child and only went with us because she trusts me.
“He said he needed help and we must go with him to the bakkie.
“He said the pille were very expensive and he must bring it to my house.”
Relieved to be home: Mom Ingrid and Ashlin Pritchard, 11, with neighbour Stacey Bowers. Picture: Leon Knipe
Stacey says she became
suspicious along the way and the man abruptly chucked her out.
“He just stopped near a factory and said Ashlin must get out for a signal.
“Then he drove off with me a few blocks and then removed me roughly from the vehicle.
“I phoned the police but I didn’t know he [ skelm] had picked her [Ashlin] up again. He told her that I was already by the bakkie.”
Ashlin says the man demanded the pin to her phone and when she refused, he dropped her at Shoprite.
Stacey says when the police brought her home, they discovered the man had returned to Anemone Street and stolen the TV from her house, telling neighbours she had sent him.
Ashlin’s mother, Ingrid, 38, says she received an urgent message from a neighbour that her child had been taken and rushed home.
“Everybody jumped in and posted pictures of her all on social media. I was so happy that she was not hurt or molested,” says the mom.
Community worker Randall Botha says somebody recognised the girl from a picture on Facebook, called them and they found her at Shoprite in Cravenby shortly after 5pm.
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Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, confirms an abduction case is being investigated with no arrests so far.
Stacey adds: “When we asked around, we found out that the man was in the street the day before, asking questions. People must be careful about what they tell strangers.”