EL PROGRESSO, Cayo District, Mon. Oct. 16, 2017–Three young girls who were walking to El Progresso Government Primary School, were abducted by two men in a pickup at about 8:00 this morning.

When the men saw the girls, they stopped the pickup, got out, walked over to the girls, grabbed them, tied them up, threw them into their vehicle pan and drove away with them towards San Antonio.

The men were described as “Gringos,” or white men.

A student who saw what was happening ran home and spread the alarm, and the men in El Progresso quickly got a vehicle and set chase after the kidnappers.

The little girls, who are around 9 to 12 years old, managed to untie the knots that held them and they jumped out of the pan of the pickup when it slowed down at a rough spot in the road, and they ran. They were rescued by the men of their village, who were in pursuit behind the pickup.

According to reliable information we received, the families of the girls went to the San Ignacio Police Station to report the incident, but police reportedly told them that they did not have a vehicle at the time to go to the village to investigate the incident.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Chester Williams, Commander of Professional Standards Branch, said that he was informed about the incident and had contacted Superintendent Richard Rosado, Commander of San Ignacio police, and that he and his team were traveling to the village to conduct investigations.

Details of the attempted abduction are expected to be released at the end of the investigation.

At press time we have received no report of the kidnappers being found.

Also, the girls are reportedly traumatized and are in the care of the Human Services Department.