PETALING JAYA, KUALA LUMPUR: It would have been another Nurin Jazlin Jazimin or Sharlinie Mohd Nashar case, but this time alert passers-by plus swift police action prevented a five-year-old girl from being the next victim of abduction.

The incident took place in Kampung Datuk Harun at 1.15am yesterday when three men abducted the girl right from the doorstep of her house and sped off.

Police who were informed of the incident at 5.30am mobilised their task force as well as alerted residents in the suburbs.

Within minutes, residents in the village provided police with details and the make of the vehicle which they saw speeding off.

Four people including a woman were arrested at 11.30am and the girl was rescued moments later at a house also in Kampung Datuk Harun.

Selangor CPO Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said swift response by the villagers enabled police to close down on the abductors that led to their arrests.

"The police together with the local residents mounted a door-to-door search as well as conducted road blocks within the area and surrounding neighbourhoods.

"Initial investigations revealed that the woman is believed to be a close relative of the girl and we are investigating them for abduction," he said.

DCP Khalid said that police were grateful to the residents for their alertness and their cooperation in providing valuable information that enabled police to solve the case within hours.

He, however, took to task the girl's father who only lodged a report some four hours after the abduction.

"Every second is very important to us and lodging a report four hours after an incident like this could have resulted in the girl being taken out of the country," he added.

The Star, ANN