Police have arrested a 35 year old man man on suspicion of the abduction of a seven-year-old girl in Droylsden this afternoon.
Thankfully the victim was safely re-united with her family a short time later, and police are putting in place plans to give them the necessary support at such a distressing time.
Officers suspect the girl was taken by a man on Warne Avenue and into a wooded area near to the disused railway track towards Manchester Road.
Enquiries suggest the girl was taken to a van where she was sexually assaulted before being taken back to the woods and finding her own way to a nearby park.
The 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of abduction and sexual assault, before being taken to custody for questioning.
Detectives are keeping an open-mind, and a search is continuing regarding the whereabouts of a second man said to have been acting suspiciously in the area around the time of the incident.
They have released two images of the man – the second of which has him pictured on Gainsborough Road and heading towards The Snipe with his jacket removed around 30 minutes after the incident and wish to speak to him urgently in relation to this incident
A large number of officers remaining in the Droylsden, Ashton-under-Lyne, and wider areas to find him.
