The police is probing the claims of a minor that she had escaped from her alleged abductors, who had dragged her into a black van on Tuesday in EB Magalona, Negros Occidental.

Senior Inspector Conrado Rances III, EB Magalona police chief, however, said yesterday that they noted inconsistencies in the statements issued by the alleged victim. This prompted them to seek the help of a child psychologist to evaluate her claims.

The 10-year-old girl, claimed in an interview with MBC Aksyon Radyo, that she was forced into a van at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, by a woman, who was with four other persons.

She claimed that she was brought to Bacolod City, but, she was able to escape from her abductors, and seek the help of a dispatcher at the Ceres Bus terminal, from whom she asked for the location of the Bacolod police station 3 headquarters.

The EB Magalona police conducted an ocular inspection at the bus stop in EB Magalona and the Ceres bus terminal in Bacolod City, to validate her claims. Witnesses at the EB Magalona bus stop, however, said they had not witnessed the alleged abduction, or the presence of a black van in the area.

The Ceres bus dispatcher from whom the minor asked for help, told the police probers that she had only asked him what vehicle she will ride to go to the Police Station 3 headquarters, Rances said.

He said they found out that the mother of the minor resides in Brgy, Mandalagan, Bacolod City, where Police Station 3 is located, and that the girl lives with her grandfather in EB Magalona.

While he described the claims of the minor, as serious, the evaluation of the child psychologist is important and if she is not making up stories, they will ask the National Bureau of Investigation for cartographic sketches of the alleged suspects, Rances said.

Similar incidents of alleged kidnapping of minors and women, with suspects using a black van, were also reported in Kabankalan, Himamaylan, Calatrava and Bacolod City, in previous months. However, they remain unsubstantiated until now.*GPB

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