Police launch urgent appeal over "abducted boy"

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) Police launched an urgent search today for a nine-year-old boy in central England after receiving reports that he had been abducted, although no parents had yet said their child was missing.

Officers were told the boy, about 4 ft tall with short brown hair and dark eyes, was seen being pushed into a red car in Tredington Close in Redditch yesterday evening.

The boy had been seen with a ''scruffy'' white man, aged about 45-50, police said.

''We take reports of this nature very seriously and have taken swift action to follow up all lines of inquiry,'' said Superintendent Kevin Purcell.

''However to date no one has come forward to police to report a young boy missing.'' Purcell said significant resources had been put towards the search. Detectives have been carrying out house-to-house inquiries and police dog search teams have also been brought in to help.

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