A tour operator has moved 60 Irish and British families to alternative holiday accommodation in Cyprus after child-snatchers posing as a couple were apparently caught attempting to abduct two children.
According to reports, the alleged child traffickers, who were disguised as hotel staff, had been filming and swimming with children at the Anastasia Beach Complex, near Protaras, for over a week.
On Tuesday night, witnesses claim they were caught when they tried to lure two children into a waiting car. A third child also had a lucky escape when the suspects, believed to be Romanian, were spotted and handed over to police in the reception area of the hotel as a group of more than 70 frantic parents gathered in shock. Local police are investigating but it is not clear whether any arrests have been made.
Dad of two Greg Letford from Dundee in the UK told The Daily Record:
‘This Romanian couple were leading the two young children towards a waiting car, another person had a third child up against a wall ready to go, too.
‘Someone spotted what they were up to and stopped them.
‘One of the men got away and we heard the getaway car crashed a short distance away too.’
Tour operator Thomas Cook, which runs the popular family hotel, is currently working with police. A spokeswoman for the company said:
“The safety and welfare of our customers is always our first priority and upon hearing about the incident, we immediately deployed our experienced resort team to the property to provide those customers in residence with individual support.
“Customers who did not wish to stay at the property were immediately moved to alternative hotels of a similar or higher standard.
“While incidents of this nature are extremely rare, we would like to reassure all customers that this is being taken incredibly seriously and we are continuing to work closely with the local authorities and the hotel as the investigation continues.”
