Abducted British girl spotted in India? (Lead)
July 28th, 2011 - 6:40 pm ICT by IANS
London, July 28 (IANS) A four-year-old British girl, who was allegedly kidnapped while on a holiday in Portugal in 2007, has reportedly been tracked down to Leh city in India’s Jammu and Kashmir state.
The parents of Madeleine McCann are, however, awaiting the results of a DNA test after a girl suspected to be the missing child was spotted in Leh, the Daily Mail reported.
Kate and Gerry McCann’s team of private investigators said they were working with Leh police who were alerted after a British woman spotted a girl she thought to be Madeleine. The abducted girl would now be eight years old.
Madeleine was about to celebrate her fourth birthday when she went missing on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
The woman who found the girl raised concerns with other tourists who agreed with her.
An American man even reportedly tried to take the girl from the couple with whiom she was.
However, the French woman and her Belgian husband insisted they were the parents of the girl.
Leh police have now taken swabs so that DNA tests can be carried out on the girl.
“It all depends upon the evidence like DNA for which help from Madeleine’s parents and the British police was required,” a Leh police spokesman said.
Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine’s parents, said: “Our private investigators are aware of reports from India about a possible sighting of Madeleine. We are liaising with the Indian authorities over the incident and await the results of the DNA test.”
Kate and Gerry McCann recently launched a book about how she disappeared. Proceeds from the book, titled “Madeleine” go towards the funding of their search for their daughter.
The official Portuguese inquiry into the girl’s disappearance was formally shelved in July 2008.
Kate McCann has said the kidnapper who took Madeleine may also have drugged her other two children.
She said her twins, Sean and Amelie, were still breathing, but they did not wake as the search for the missing three-year-old Madeleine began.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has also asked Scotland Yard to carry out a review of the investigation.
- Missing British child spotted in India? - Jul 28, 2011
- Kashmir police deny finding missing British girl (Third Lead) - Jul 28, 2011
- McCanns' release jigsaw image of Madeleine - Dec 22, 2011
- McCanns' postpone launch of Maddie book in view of the Royal wedding - Jan 03, 2011
- Child's body found in hunt for missing New Zealand girl - Oct 12, 2009
- Parents as accused: Aarushi murder's similarity with others - Feb 09, 2011
- Mystery, hope and prayer mark Madeleine anniversary - May 03, 2008
- Jolie extends support to missing Madeleine McCanns mum - Aug 25, 2008
- Madeleine McCann's parents close to being cleared - Nov 14, 2007
- British tabloid apologises to missing girl's parents - Mar 19, 2008
- Kate and Gerry McCann accept apologies from two newspapers - Mar 20, 2008
- Bloody footprint found in Madeleine McCann's parents' apartment - Nov 14, 2007
- Madeleine Pulver's parents: "Maddie is the bravest girl in the world" - Aug 06, 2011
- Frankie Boyle's 'Tramadol Nights' show axed - Jan 31, 2012
- Baby Falak critical, 'mother' can't meet her yet - Feb 07, 2012
Tags: british girl, british police, british woman, clarence mitchell, daily mail, dna test, dna tests, french woman, holiday in portugal, indian authorities, jammu and kashmir, kashmir state, kate and gerry mccann, kate mccann, madeleine mccann, police spokesman, possible sighting, praia da luz, praia da luz portugal, private investigators