National Police say fear has reached fever pitch in the Son Forteza neighbourhood of Palma since the attempted kidnap of a child on Tuesday.
One woman told Police that a very badly dressed young man tried to take her 2-year-old daughter as they were walking along Carrer de Blanquera on Thursday.
Another called 091 when her daughter didn’t return home because she feared she’d been kidnapped. When Officers arrived at the family home, they found the teenager chatting to her friends on the stairs outside. Several other parents have also called Police when their kids didn’t come home on time.
Officers are continuing to investigate the attempted abduction on Tuesday, when a man, wearing a balaclava and riding an electric scooter grabbed a 5-year-old girl as she was walking along the street with her Mum and brother. When a van driver blocked the kidnapper’s path he released the child and fled. He's described as in his 20s, with dark skin and possibly South American or Moroccan.
Police are sifting through a mountain of CCTV to try to track down the suspect and say they’re also following up on several leads.
National Police Headquarters has appealed for calm and want to reassure parents that there is no indication that a pervert is trying to take children by force in Palma.