Ranui abduction: Suspect still a mystery

The identity of a man who abducted and sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy in West Auckland remains a mystery as his victim is too traumatised to give police more details.

Police are continuing their hunt for the man who abducted the boy from near the Ranui train station on Thursday afternoon and subjected him to a four-hour ordeal before dropping him back in the area.

Specialist child interviewers have only managed to have one short conversation with the boy since, said Detective Inspector Jason McIntosh.

"His welfare is paramount to us and due to the traumatic nature of this event, specialist interviewers have only had a brief conversation with him," he told the Herald.

Police have been scouring the area since Thursday, and schools and residents are on high alert for information about the man and his grey van.

"We're incredibly grateful for the 60-plus phone calls we've received from the public directly, or through Crimestoppers. We're currently assessing and following up on these.

"Obviously we are yet to locate the offender; and we're reminding the public to be aware of any suspicious activity in their area and to report it immediately to police.

"We're continuing to look through CCTV footage as part of our investigation to identify the offender."

McIntosh asked anyone with information to contact him on 021 191 2659, or the anonymous tip line Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The abduction

• Thursday, 3.55pm: An 11-year-old boy alighted a train at Ranui Station and started walking home along Ranui Station Rd when he was abducted by a man in a grey van.

• The man asked the boy for directions before driving him to an unknown location and sexually assaulting him.

• The man then drove the boy back to Ranui and let him go.

• Thursday, 8pm: The boy arrives home

• Schools in the area alerted

• Friday: Police notify media and put extra patrols in the area. Public asked for help finding the offender

• Sunday: A Givealittle page is created for the boy and raises more than $8000 in less than 24 hours

• Monday: The identity of the offender remains a mystery as the victim is too traumatised to speak at length with police.