The men in the white Toyota Hiace had even offered candy to one of the pupils, only to be rebuffed in the 4.45pm incident after school extra-curricular actvities.

At that juncture, the door of the van was ajar, in what could be an attempt to drag the three pupils into the vehicle.

Relating the incident to Bernama, the mother of one of the pupils said the three men escaped in the van when the school security guard came out to investigate.

Thanking God that nothing untoward had happened to the children, the woman said police recorded a statement from her daughter, who was one of the three pupils.

Labuan Education Department director Raisin Saidin said school authorities should ensure pupils, especially those in primary school, waited inside the school compound after school.