Woman locked in storage room in Malaga by partner asks friend for help via WhatsApp

A 30-year-old woman who was being held by her partner in a storage room in the city of Malaga was rescued by police after she sent a brief message to a friend asking for help. However, she was not able to give the friend the address or tell her anything else, which resulted in a desperate search to find her.

The call came into the 092 room of the Local Police a few minutes after 4am on Tuesday 19 August. Shortly after that first contact, the young woman managed to send a second message to her friend with her location, so all available patrols in the area were immediately mobilised to locate and rescue her.

The officers who arrived the scene inspected all the apartment blocks around the location received. They checked each floor, door by door, but were unable to find the girl, so they then tried to contact her by telephone. Apparently, the girl managed to answer the call, but did not respond to the officer's questions. She could only be heard crying and asking someone to let her out.

Although the call did not allow them to talk to her or find out how she was, it did help them to verify that she could be in danger, according to sources close to the case. Faced with the possibility of having to enter by force, the operational support group (GOA) of the Local Police, specialised in this type of situation, was mobilised.

In the meantime, the officers deployed on the scene returned to inspect the building. While checking the garage, as they passed by the storage rooms, they heard a murmur and crying. They knocked persistently on the door identifying themselves as police officers and, just as they were about to use force to gain access, the suspect opened the door.

The young woman was released and her partner, a 20-year-old Spanish national, was arrested for allegedly holding her against her will, as well as for beating her several times, according to the testimony of the victim, who was taken to a hospital for further medical examination.