A 56-year-old Sakhalin resident forcibly took an unfamiliar boy into an apartment and locked the door on September 26, the regional Investigative Committee said. A local woman freed the child.
Investigators said the man heard a knock and went out to the landing. After seeing the child there, he pulled him into the apartment and locked the entrance. Later, the suspect grabbed the boy by his hood and carried him onto the porch while holding him off the ground.
A woman saw what was happening, intervened and wrested the child away. She then called the police. The regional Investigative Committee said it had opened a case over the alleged abduction of a minor.
The local outlet SakhPress reported that a court ordered the defendant held in custody at investigators’ request. The outlet said investigators were continuing to establish the circumstances and gather evidence.