Madeleine: Police identify burglars as prime suspects after phone calls clue.
THREE burglars have been identified by Scotland Yard as potential major suspects in the hunt for Madeleine McCann.
Daily Express
By: John Twomey
Published: Mon, January 13, 2014
Detectives in London are understood to have urged the Portuguese authorities to track down the men and detain them.
The Yard is believed to have appealed for the thieves to be arrested in an international letter of request sent to Lisbon last week.
In what could be a breakthrough in the inquiry, detectives focused on the three men after a painstaking trawl through mobile phone records.
It is understood there was significant phone traffic between them around the time three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the McCanns’ holiday home in the Algarve in May 2007.
One theory is that the burglars raided the apartment in Praia da Luz and were panicked into snatching the little girl when she woke up and started crying.
The Yard cannot discount the possibility the men are not linked to Madeleine's disappearance but it is vital they are "traced, interviewed and eliminated" as an important step in the inquiry.
Burglars were active in the area in the days before Madeleine was kidnapped and the small but significant increase in the number of break-ins has been a major focus in the Yard's inquiry.
Shortly before Madeleine was snatched, an apartment was raided and another child was disturbed.
The youngster's parents were nearby but the intruder or intruders had fled when they rushed back inside.
Identifying the burglars as possible major suspects in the hunt for Madeleine is a key part of the Yard's investigation, codenamed Operation Grange.
A source close to her parents, Kate and Gerry, said: "It could be a major breakthrough. Kate and Gerry are buoyed up by this latest development.
"Whilst they don't want to build up their hopes too high they are feeling optimistic. They felt it was only a matter of time before new clues came to light."
In a moving radio interview recently, former GP Mrs McCann, 45, said: "Six years ago my little girl Madeleine was stolen. I cannot describe the impact that awful night had on our family. It’s a horrible pain we live with every day.
"[The charity] Missing People call it living in limbo and until Madeleine is found, we are in this nightmarish limbo too.
"Missing People never gives up hope, never stops looking. They are there when it counts, supporting each family for as long as it takes. For families like mine, they are a vital lifeline."
Authorities in London and Lisbon are working to set up a joint investigation team which would take advantage of European law to speed up cross-border inquiries.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, head of Operation Grange, has revealed that mobile records could be key to the mystery. But there are many other possible lines of inquiry.
Yesterday, a Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed an international letter of request was sent to the Portuguese last week but declined to discuss the contents.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/453500/Phone-calls-clue-leads-to-burglars-becoming-chief-Maddie-suspects
