Police are asking Opononi and Omapere locals to be vigilant after two men attempted to drag a teenage girl into their car.
Police are asking Opononi and Omapere locals to be vigilant after two men attempted to drag a teenage girl into their car.
Northland police are looking for two men who told a teenage girl to "come back to our house" before grabbing her bag and pulling her into their car before she managed to break away.
The 17-year-old Northland girl had been to the shops in the area and was walking alongthe footpath on State Highway 12, Omapere, just before 3pm on Sunday when she was approached outside the Omapere Playcentre by two men driving an older model black sedan, police said.
Detective Sergeant Chris Fouhy said the men had slowed down and were driving next to the girl while talking to her. "It was a one-sided conversation. She said they said things like 'we'll take you home' and 'come back to our house' which made the girl think they lived in the area," he said.
Mr Fouhy said following this the man sitting in the front passenger seat grabbed the girl's handbag and pulled her towards the car.
He then pulled the girl into the car, however she managed to break free and ran to a nearby property to raise the alarm. Mr Fouhy said the girl was brave but "shaken-up".
"It's a very traumatic thing to go through but you have to give her credit for how brave she was to fight off the two men," he said.
The driver of the vehicle was described as European, wearing dark sunglasses. The passenger was described as Maori of stocky build and aged about 30. He was wearing a red shirt, a red beanie and black sunglasses.
The black sedan was described as having a dirty or dusty exterior with tinted side windows and was last seen travelling west along State Highway 12 towards Omapere hill.
"This is an unprovoked daytime attack on a female walking along a busy road. Police ask that people in the Opononi and Omapere areas be aware of those around them and walk in pairs or groups where possible. If you encounter the people sought by police call 111 and get to a place of safety," said Mr Fouhy.
Kaikohe police ask that anybody who has any information in relation to this matter, including any sightings of the vehicle or the two men, to contact the Kaikohe Police Station on 09 405 2973 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to remain anonymous.
