CCTV footage of the alleged attempted abduction of a 12-year-old boy in Western Australia. Photo / 7News
CCTV footage of the alleged attempted abduction of a 12-year-old boy in Western Australia. Photo / 7News
Chilling footage has emerged showing the moment a young boy was allegedly dragged from his home by a masked the stranger after his brother was allegedly snatched in his sleep.
The CCTV footage was captured at a home in Moora, part of Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region, about 4am on Friday.
The masked man wearing a wig can be seen entering through a gate. Moments later, he is seen with 12-year-old Fabiano.
Fabino, who is barefoot, is dragged towards the gate by the man, who has one arm around his torso.
As the masked man attempts to pick him up, the boy pushes him off and runs back into the property, where he then raised the alarm that his younger brother was missing.
Earlier in the night, eight-year-old James had been allegedly abducted.
Police conducted a search of the area and a short time later, about 7.10am, found the boy at a nearby home.
CCTV footage of the alleged attempted abduction of a 12-year-old boy from Western Australia. Photo / 7News
WA Police Inspector Kareene Santoro said the actions of the 12-year-old boy led to the quick resolution of the “very traumatic incident”.
”[His] courage and bravery to get himself out of that situation was tremendous, and going and alerting an adult straight away of what had occurred was a really good job by him,” Santoro told reporters.
Both children were taken to hospital for a routine medical check.
The West Australian reported the boys were being cared for by a family friend while their father was at work.
WA Police arrested a 34-year-old man on Friday and charged him with two counts of detaining a child under 16, two counts of aggravated burglary, deprivation of liberty, disguise to commit an offence and criminal damage.