Police have ruled out any sinister motives behind an incident involving a Redlynch schoolgirl who was "grabbed by the arm" by an elderly man on her way to school yesterday morning.

St Andrews Catholic College sparked significant community concern late yesterday when it sent a message to all parents alerting them to the incident.

"We are informing you that an incident occurred before school today (June 4) on Michelangelo Drive between one of our Middle Years students and an unknown adult male," St Andrews principal Sean Mangan wrote.

"The student was grabbed by the arm and fortunately able to remove herself from this situation. We have informed the Police and see this as a timely opportunity to reinforce awareness of strangers with your children."

But Queensland Police this morning told Tropic Now their investigation into the incident concluded that the incident was not an attempted abduction or assault.  

"Our investigation found no evidence to suggest it was an attempted abduction or assault," a police spokesperson said.

Tropic Now understands the elderly man may be suffering from a health condition, and the incident was most likely an inadvertent encounter with the student.

The message to parents from St Andrews has caused widespread concern on social media after it was posted into a Redlynch Residents Facebook group.