(NEXSTAR) – Last month, a victim of domestic abuse was able to alert an onlooker to her plight at a convenience store in California — all without raising the suspicions of her alleged abuser, who had accompanied her to the store.

She was able to do this through the use of a hand signal, according to police.

“It was determined that a domestic violence incident had occurred, and the victim was asking for help using hand signals behind her back,” the Alhambra Police Department later said of the Aug. 19 incident.

Police did not say which gestures the woman may have used. But organizations offering support to women and domestic violence victims have promoted the use of the “Signal for Help,” a hand gesture created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation for victims who are being monitored or cann

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