Police: missing Mikaeel may be victim of a crime

Police have activated a search ­mechanism usually reserved for abduction and kidnap cases. The UK-wide Child Rescue Alert system has only been used once before - when five-year-old April Jones disappeared in Wales.

Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, of Police Scotland, last night raised the possibility of a crime having taken place following a second day without any confirmed sighting of the toddler.

However, he added officers were still keeping an open mind and said the boy may have left his family home in ­Edinburgh by himself.

Mr Graham said: "It is normal in inquiries such as this to take a ­twin-track approach aimed at finding the missing person and at the same time investigating and preparing for the possibility of a crime being committed.

"It remains possible he left his home on his own accord. It is, however, entirely possible Mikaeel has become subject of a criminal act."

Mikaeel's mother Rosdeep Kular, 33, put him to bed at around 9pm on Wednesday at their home in Ferry Gait Crescent, Drylaw, but his room was empty when she checked at around 7.15am the next day.

Mr Graham said all immediate family members had been traced and spoken to by police and he urged anyone with information to come forward.

He said: "We have established a timeline of Mikaeel's movements going back for some time prior to when we can establish that he was last seen in the house on Wednesday night.

"There is a timeline going back of when he has been seen by different people, but I am not able to go into the detail of that at the moment.

"This is an extremely significant inquiry. I think everyone can get a sense of the urgency and scale of the resource that Police Scotland is able to put towards establishing the circumstances."

Mr Graham gave the update at the end of a day when hundreds of volunteers helped in the search.

He said: "It is of grave concern that Mikaeel has been missing for nearly 48 hours. Since he was last seen on Wednesday night by his mum, and all of the work we've been doing, we've been unable to confirm any sightings of Mikaeel.

"As a result, our operations and our investigations are continuing in tandem, but we must make sure we examine fully every possibility as to what might have happened."

Throughout the day, volunteers scoured the foreshore at nearby Cramond. Those taking part ranged from firefighters to mothers pushing prams.

Specialist teams have been deployed from across the country to help with the search, investigation and ­community support work. The British Red Cross yesterday joined police, the ­coastguard, the fire service and volunteers.

A missing person appeal is to be displayed on digital billboards across the UK.

Edinburgh SNP MSP Colin Keir was among those who joined the search.

Mr Keir, who represents Edinburgh Western, said: "There's a huge sense of shock in the area, but the way the community has come together to try to help is sensational."

Earlier, police said there had been a "potential sighting" of a child matching Mikaeel's description and wearing a cap after a boy who was "small in build and alone" was spotted in West Pilton Gardens at around 8.30am on Thursday.

However, police said Mikaeel does not usually like wearing something on his head.

Questions have been raised about whether Mikaeel would have been able to leave the block of flats on his own.

Neighbours said he would have had to descend the stairs and reach up and press a button to release the main, heavy door to then get outside.

Mikaeel usually sleeps in the same room as his twin sister, but was alone on Wednesday night.

His beige hooded jacket and brown Clarks shoes were missing from his home and police say he may also be wearing black gloves with multi-coloured fingers, dark navy blue jogging bottoms and a grey pyjama top with an embroidered turquoise dinosaur on the chest.