Panic caused by a joke of young gardeners: Company owner denies connection with attempted child abductions

A joke by two young workers, employees of a Sarajevo company caused panic among parents in Sarajevo today. They left a mask on the seat of a parked white van in Bakarevića Street near one of the buildings of Elementary School Edhem Mulabdić. The workers were in a completely different building performing their regular activities, Patria reports.

Panicked parents, due to the fact that in the last few weeks there have been four attempted child abductions linked to a white VW van, immediately photographed the „suspicious“ vehicle and alerted the media and the police. The published photo clearly shows someone sitting with a mask on their face, and after the police arrived at the scene, only the mask was found in the vehicle.

The company owner told Patria that his workers were joking internally and apologized for the panic they caused, but stated they have nothing to do with the abduction attempts.

- This is a serious company and we will sanction the workers who caused this misunderstanding. All workers have been employed by me for years. I don't even know why that mask was left in the vehicle - said the distressed company owner. 

The search for the white van that has been circling schools for days and disturbing children continues, and most schools have issued special warnings about the behavior of students and parents, recommending that they do not go outside during long breaks, move in larger groups, and that parents pick up and drop off their children at school.

The Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton will soon issue an official statement regarding this case, and as we learn, the workers of this company have been questioned and it has been determined that they have no connection with the recent events that have alarmed the Sarajevo public.