Call for witnesses after an attempted kidnapping in Les Herbiers

After the attempted kidnapping of a minor in the Vendée commune of Herbiers, an “elderly” lady with “short white hair” is actively sought by the gendarmes. She was identified as a “key witness” to this event by the gendarmes, who launched a call for witnesses, on instructions from the La Roche-sur-Yon public prosecutor’s office, to advance the investigation.

The events, which occurred in this neighboring town of Puy du Fou and populated by 17,000 inhabitants, date back to Thursday September 24. Around 12:30 p.m., in rue du Bignon, about a hundred meters from a bakery, “a 16-year-old girl was approached by the driver of a dark blue Dacia Logan vehicle, who grabbed her by the arm to try to force her into his car,” explains the Herbiers gendarmerie, in a message posted on Facebook. It was then that “a lady immediately intervened to help the young girl and scare the attacker away, before taking her safely back to her workplace”.

This older woman was carrying “a large black handbag and a sort of shopping bag”. She was walking in the direction of a Hyper U, towards rue du Brandon. In case of information that could help find or identify her, the Herbiers gendarmerie can be reached at 02.51.91.01.88, at 17, or by private message on its Facebook page.