Dubai Police search for parents after child found alone in mall

The five-year-old boy was found on Saturday but his parents have still not come forward

The five-year-old boy was found wandering in Al Reef Mall in Deira, near Salahuddin metro station. Courtesy: Dubai Police

Police are trying to trace the parents of a young child who was found wandering alone in a Dubai shopping centre.

Officers said the five-year-old boy was found by a female shopper who waited with him  at Al Reef Mall in Deira for hours on Saturday, hoping that his parents would return for him. She eventually phoned police for help.

His mother or father have  yet to contact the mall or police, who appealed to the  public on Sunday to help in finding them.

Brig Ali Ghanim, head of Muraqqabat police station, urged the public to call them  if they know the family. He did not disclose the child's name and described him only as Asian.

People can contact the control room on 901 or call Muraqqabat police station directly on 04 266 055.

In July, officers launched a major search for schoolboy Mohammed Pervez, 15, who went missing after a row with his parents at their Sharjah home.

He came forward after two weeks following repeated appeals and searches by police in Dubai and Sharjah.

He told police that he had  cycled from Sharjah to Ajman, where he stayed in a villa with five workers , claiming his parents had gone on holiday and left him behind.