Serbia. French kidnappers claim abduction was part of a paternity scam.

[Carana]

They are being held, because of the high risk of them fleeing and while more evidence is acquired from france, apparently, according to press reports. They are probably investigating that passport too. If there is a child, I wonder who is caring for her?

I'm wondering the same thing, Vixte. Reports seem to vary. Does this French child exist? If so, who has been looking after her?

[Carana]

What's this? It looks like the car on a ferry.

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes.php?yyyy=2015&mm=03&dd=19&nav_id=93542

[Carana]

To a certain extent, the content of that article sounds like one of those "we shall not be defeated" pieces. However, Serbia does appear to have been on the ball in terms of finding apparently relevant CCTV footage to back trace their movements.

I know that CCTV can appear to be Big-Brother land, but if it's used appropriately (and irrelevant kiss-and-tell footage isn't sold to tabloids), then it would seem to be a major asset in crime investigation.

[Anna]

What's this? It looks like the car on a ferry.

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes.php?yyyy=2015&mm=03&dd=19&nav_id=93542

That video is amazing, Carana, Thanks.
They have managed to follow them all the way from, (wherever) to the kidnap site. I wonder if our police could do as well?
 Fantastic job they have done in this case. They should all be very proud of their achievement.

[Brietta]

I'm wondering the same thing, Vixte. Reports seem to vary. Does this French child exist? If so, who has been looking after her?

Thanks for the video, Carana.

I'm with you and Vixte on this, I think the whole scenario runs very deep.  I hope international police co-operation can get to the root of it all.

The Police action was superb ... and I think Serbia has sent a zero tolerance message to would be kidnappers.

I must admit I still can't get my head round it at all ... thanks for all the updates as there are still no reports about this incident at all on our news.

[Carana]

It was supposedly the man who grabbed the child, while the older woman drove (unconfirmed).

A few potentially interesting details on that video clip.

It looks to me like a ferry crossing of some kind or possibly the entrance to a major fee-paying tunnel for which there is a wait (two dogs let out for a play in the background). * ETA: It could just be a motorway toll with a traffic jam.

There is some kind of control kiosk / booth off camera and the woman has to get out. Nothing unusual about that as the car is parked too far away to simply hand any money / tickets over through the window. However, the man (driving) has to get out as does the back seat occupant (presumably the young woman). That seems to me as if it's an international crossing of some kind otherwise why would all occupants have to get out and go to the booth?

The licence plate (though fuzzy) appears to be the same as the one on the car when they got caught. If so, it would be the French one and the Romanian plate rumour seems even less likely. That could be either true for some unexplained reason, a genuine mistake or a bit of anti-Romanian sentiment poking through.

[Carana]

Another curious detail is that the sticker on the driver's side of the windscreen does indeed appear to be a Swiss motorway sticker. A bit of googling later... it could well be a 2014 sticker as it's red. Otherwise, the last red one that I can find dates back to 2006.

Not sure that I can attach more than one pic here at a time... but will see.

[Carana]

Now, if it is correct that that is a 2014 Swiss motorway sticker... then that car either transited through Swiss motorways at some point before March 2015, or it was purchased and stuck on it to make it appear to be the case.  &%+((£

[Carana]

Doesn't this look like it?

[Eleanor]

Anyone think they might have abducted her to keep for themselves?

[misty]

Anyone think they might have abducted her to keep for themselves?

I am wondering why her mother wasn't at the reunion.

[Carana]

Anyone think they might have abducted her to keep for themselves?

Weird things do happen... but I can't quite fathom why a family (if indeed it is a family) would go all the way from the south of France to Belgrade to suddenly decide to grab a child off the street. The police appear to be still trying to work out whether the child in question was a specific target or a random one.

[Carana]

I am wondering why her mother wasn't at the reunion.

According to one report, she was injured when she tried to latch onto the car and either fell off or was thrown off it. She could have still been in medical care at that point.

[Anna]

I am wondering why her mother wasn't at the reunion.

I believe(according to press reports, which is all we have to go on) that the Mother was injured trying to stop the car and get her baby out, Her fingers were broken too, so possibly at the hospital, when the father was informed that they were found or else he was in a car with the police for identification of the child. The mother would also have been in a very distressed state after the abduction.
Better now that they are all back as a family.   
She will be nervous of going out with her child, though.

[misty]

The average 2 year old can normally speak in short sentences & understands much of what is said to them. Why would a French (or Spanish) speaking person opt to try & pass off a Serbian-speaking child in a paternity case?
Then there is the issue of how the abductors knew exactly where to find the child....and when the mother was going out shopping.....that's not random.