Police in Melbourne’s south-east are searching for a man accused of a terrifying abduction and extortion incident involving a mother and her infant child.
Police say the victim was leaving her car at the Stud Park Shopping Centre when she was confronted by the suspect, who threatened her with a knife and forced her back into the driver’s seat of her vehicle.
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According to reports, the suspect then climbed into the back seat of the car, along with the woman’s child, and coerced her to drive to various electrical stores in Cranbourne and Dandenong.
At these locations, he allegedly demanded that she purchase laptop computers, remaining in the car with the child while she complied.
The incident reportedly lasted for two hours before the perpetrator drove the victim to Robert Booth Reserve, where he fled the scene along the Dandenong Creek path around 8pm.
Both the woman and her child escaped physical harm.
Detective Senior Constable Jonathan Minehan described the incident as isolated but deeply distressing.
He said the incident was “significantly traumatising” for the women.
“It is quite unusual to commit an offence of this severity purely for financial gain.”
Authorities have released dashcam footage of the suspect from the victim’s vehicle and are urging anyone with relevant information or dashcam footage from the area between 5:20 pm and 6:30 pm on the day of the incident to come forward.
The suspect, described as an Asian male aged between 20 and 35, was last seen wearing a grey hoodie, a green fluorescent vest, grey pants, and black running shoes, carrying a shopping bag containing Apple MacBook Pro computers.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.
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