Police in Exeter have issued an appeal after a teenage boy was "manhandled" and told to get in a van by three men.
Officers were called at 6pm on Thursday, February 14, to an incident in the Buddle Lane area of Exeter
The teenager had been walking when he was approached by three males and told to get into a van.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "He refused and although being briefly manhandled was able to leave the area.
"The incident happened at around 5.50pm.
"Police, who believe it to be an isolated incident, are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
"The van is described as being grey or silver and of the size of a Ford Transit.
"One of the men had a ginger beard and is thought to be in his early 20s and one had a hat on which covered his face.
"There is no description of the third man."
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or by emailing 101@dc.police.uk quoting log 674 of 14 February.
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Last month Devon Live reported how police in Exeter had launched an investigation after several children said they had been approached or followed on their way to school.
An initial incident involved an 11-year-old girl being approached by two men in a small white van at 8am between Cowick Lane and St Hill Close, whilst walking to school on (Wednesday, January 16.)
Devon & Cornwall Police launched an emergency investigation after being made aware of similar reports.
Speaking at the time, Sector Inspector Simon Arliss said: “We have also recently received other reports where children have felt that they have been followed, approached or simply felt uneasy on their walk to school for a range of reasons.
"On each occasion the child has done the correct thing; they didn’t stop and immediately told a teacher at school about the matter, who in turn have contacted the police.
“Although a number of these reports are believed to be due to heightened awareness following Wednesday’s incident, I would continue to encourage all matters to be reported to police; we will listen and take each report seriously.
“Currently, we have no incidents where a child has been grabbed or harmed; all have made their way safely to school where these matters have then been reported.
“Public safety is our primary concern and we would encourage members of the public to continue to report suspicious incidents to police, but we must stress that at this time there does not appear be an increased risk to your children, nor any new matters that are causing us concern from a policing point of view.
"But to help with reassurance, we have increased officer patrols across Exeter and officers will be visible in school areas at the relevant times of day.
“What I would ask of the public reporting these incidents is, where possible, to make a note of any specific information. Ideally we’re looking for specific time frames, vehicle registration numbers and person descriptions, as this information will aid our investigations.”
