A mother and her infant daughter were abducted from a supermarket car park and forced to drive from store to store buying expensive laptops at knife-point.
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The woman and child had parked at Rowville's Stud Park Shopping Centre in Melbourne's southeast at 6pm on May 10 when a man allegedly forced the pair back inside their car.
Speaking to media on May 17 the woman, known only as Kieren, said the man came up out of nowhere with a knife and demanded she get into the car and drive.
The woman said she told the man "you can take everything, just leave me with my daughter," she said.
"He just kept demanding, 'I don't want your car, I don't want your wallet, I don't want your phone, just get in the car and drive'."
Kieren said the man sat in the backseat with her young child and made her drive to multiple electronics stores.
Daughter held at knife-point
He allegedly demanded that the woman buy Apple MacBook laptops from several stores while he waited in the car with her child.
At the second store, Kieren's husband arrived after tracking her phone location but was unable to save their daughter as the car doors were locked.
"I just remember yelling at my husband 'he has a knife' and didn't want him to get hurt," Kieren said.
After the mother bought four computers the man drove his abduction victims to the Robert Booth Reserve in Dandenong where he fled on foot carrying the Apple products, police said.
The alleged abduction lasted around two hours and neither the mother or child were physically injured.
The mother said the man apologised after the incident for "ruining her night" but it has had long-term effects on her "at least for now".
She said it is "really hard to feel safe" at the moment but has told herself she can "be a hermit for one or two weeks".
She said her friends and family have surrounding her with love and support.
CCTV shows alleged abductor
The knife-wielding assailant was perceived to be Asian in appearance and aged between 20 and 35 years, police said.
Police have released CCTV footage of a man fitting this description carrying multiple packages allegedly containing the MacBooks.
He was wearing a grey hoodie with the hood over his head, a green fluro vest on top of the hoodie as well as black and grey pants with black running shoes.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, or with any other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Anna Houlahan
Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
