Teen girl ‘bundled into van at knifepoint in seven-hour random abduction ordeal’

The 15-year-old was walking alone on Bowdon, Cheshire at around 6.45pm on Monday evening when she was bundled into the back of a van by a man with a knife, beginning a seven-hour ordeal

A teenage girl was subjected to a seven-hour ordeal after she was bundled into a vehicle in a ‘random’ suspected abduction.

The 15-year-old was walking alone when she was forced into a vehicle on Bradgate Road, Bowdon, Greater Manchester at around 6.45pm on Monday evening. Police say a 56-year-old man has been arrested following the incident.

The victim reported being threatened with a knife during a seven-hour ordeal, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The girl was reported missing at around 9pm on Monday evening before eventually being found in the early hours of Tuesday (May 19) in a hotel car park in Knutsford, Cheshire.

Cops arrested a man after a quick-thinking member of the public heard her terrified screams and made a note of the vehicle’s number plate. Police issued an alert for a specific vehicle and Cheshire cops found the vehicle on a car park at the Cottons Hotel and Spa in the early hours.

The teenager was inside and a man was arrested at the scene.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers working alongside Cheshire Police have arrested a man on suspicion of abduction after a teenage girl was reported missing on Monday 18 May in Altrincham.

“A 56‑year‑old man was arrested in the early hours of 19 May and remains in custody for further questioning. Specialist officers are supporting the girl and her family. There is no wider risk to the public. Further updates will be provided when appropriate.”

The man arrested was a white male, Greater Manchester Police said. Detectives have been granted an extension to keep the suspect in custody for further questioning.

It is understood the incident is being treated as random and that the teenager is not known to the suspect.