British Father Allegedly Abandons Young Daughters in a Rental Car at Tenerife Shopping Centre

A white Volkswagen Polo parked with its windows closed, and inside, two young children.

This is exactly what happened to a concerned local on June 17.

A seven-year-old British girl and her baby sister were found seemingly abandoned in that car.

Despite the intense heat, there were no signs of their parents for a good 15 minutes.

Naturally, the concerned local called the police.

When the police arrived at the Apolo Commercial Centre in Los Cristianos, they managed to convince the older girl to unlock the door.

Inside, they found some snacks and documents identifying a man they believed to be the girls’ father.

They began searching the shopping center and eventually found a 38-year-old British man at a hair salon.

He initially denied being the father and gave a different name.

Complications Arise

With no parents in sight, the police informed the local prosecutor’s office.

The girls were temporarily transferred to a local maternal unit.

Meanwhile, the authorities worked with the car rental company to confirm the man’s identity.

It turned out he had lied to the police about who he was.

The Search Continues

When the police returned to the salon to detain the man, he had already fled.

Adding to the confusion, a 35-year-old Polish man showed up, claiming to be a friend of the man responsible for the children.

He said he had been asked to pick them up, but the police refused to release the children until they could confirm their parents’ identities.

The Mother Found

Eventually, the police tracked down the girls’ mother, a 27-year-old British tourist.

She came to the shopping center, confirmed her identity, and was reunited with her children.

The police have now opened a case and are seeking to arrest the girls’ father on suspicion of child abandonment.

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