‘Hero’ caught on CCTV saving girl, 11, from being snatched off street

A CCTV camera on a street in London captured the moment a woman stopped a young girl from potentially being abducted, by simply ushering her into a charity shop.

The woman appears to have been watching an encounter between the 11-year-old and a man wearing a grey jumper and jeans outside a newsagent in West Wickham, Bromley, on June 24.

She is believed to have overheard the man asking the girl if she was alone before stepping in to take actions.

The footage, which was obtained by the MailOnline, shows the woman in a turquoise dress leaving a Mind charity shop next door to Shriji News and telling the man to go away, before taking the girl into the store with her.

When they were both safely inside the shop, she called the police.

An appeal has since been released by the Metropolitan Police, requesting help in identifying two men who they want to speak with over the incident.

A statement from the force said: ‘At 11:45am on Saturday, 24 June, an 11-year-old girl was approached by a man on High Street, West Wickham who tried to convince her to leave with him.

‘A member of the public, seeing the child looked nervous, intervened and took her into a shop.

‘Officers are keen to hear from anyone who can name the men in the images.’

The Met released images of two men they want to identify (PIcture: SWNS/Metropolitan Police)

Speaking to MailOnline, the owner of Shriji News said he knew the girl as she lived nearby, but did not recognise the two men who followed her into his store.

Maunil Patel said: ‘The girl was looking around the shop for a few minutes and the men were keeping a close eye on her, watching what she was doing and maybe seeing if anyone was with her.’

He recalled watching the confrontation between the woman and man outside his business, saying: ‘I heard her say to him that she was going to call the police and she asked the girl to come with her.

‘The girl, who was by now quite confused and scared, went with the woman into the shop. The man hung around momentarily but then walked off towards Natwest Bank on the other side of the road.’

Anyone who is able to name the two men pictured, or who might have any information that could assist the Met investigation, has been urged to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting reference CAD 3430/24Jun.

Alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Police have released images of two men they would like to speak with regarding the incident.