Missing three-year-old Mikaeel Kular may have been spotted by members of the public just hours after he apparently disappeared from his home, police said today.
Several people have come forward to say that they saw a young boy matching Mikaeel's description around 8.30am yesterday walking alone in the West Pilton area of Edinburgh, near his home in Ferry Gait.
CCTV footage has confirmed the presence of a small child in the area, according to Police Scotland, although it is impossible to verify the child's identity.
Mikaeel's mother Rosie Kular, who last saw him when she put him to bed at 9pm on Wednesday, has told officers she is desperate to have her son back as soon as possible.
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Missing: Police are still searching for Mikaeel Kular, left, who disappeared on Wednesday night and is believed to be wearing a beige coat with a fur-lined hood, right
' Distraught': The boy's mother Rosdeep, known as Rosie, is apparently desperate to see her son
Hunt: Police today cordoned off bins in the Ferry Gait area, just a few metres from the block of flats where the little boy went missing
Police were today pictured sealing communal bins as they continued the hunt for evidence, with an army of volunteers from the local area joining them to look for the boy.
Last night Mrs Kular, 33, a beauty therapist, was being comforted by relatives at her home.
At a press conference this morning, Superintendent Liz McAinsh said that Mrs Kular was 'getting a lot of support' but was desperate to see her son again as soon as possible.
'She is very distraught,' the officer said. 'She just wants her little boy back home home with his brothers and sisters.
'We are very concerned for her. We just want to be able to give her some news or let her know he is safe and well.'
Thorough: Officers climb through woodland in their hunt for any possible clues to the mystery
Chipping in: Volunteers join officials to search the land on the shore a short distance from Mikaeel's home
Working together: Firefighters, police and volunteers formed one long line to examine the shore
Police want anyone else who saw the child yesterday morning to get in touch urgently as they work to confirm whether it was Mikaeel or another youngster.
They said the small boy matched the description of Mikaeel, although the child was also wearing a cap or hat.
Ms McAinsh said that the missing boy 'doesn't like wearing a hat or a cap, and to our knowledge he didn't have one'.
She added: 'Now we're in a position where we think it's something that's relevant, very relevant, and we're coming to you with this appeal to try and help us.
'We can confirm from CCTV inquiries that a child was indeed running down as described at 8.30 yesterday morning, but we cannot identify that child from the CCTV images that we have.'
The sighting of the child was in the same street where hundreds of volunteers gathered this morning to join the search, about half a mile from Mikaeel's home.
Scene: This map shows how Mikaeel escaped from his home in Ferry Gait and was possibly seen in West Pilton; rescuers have been searching the shoreline, while the coastguard has sent patrols into the Firth of Forth
Police probe: Officers combing the ground around Ferry Gait Crescent, where the boy lives
Police are investigating the possibility that Mikaeel left home of his own accord - but questions have been raised about how he could have opened the door to his block of flats.
Neighbours suggested that the three-year-old boy would not have been able to reach the button which releases the heavy door, then pull it towards him to open it.
Parents at the local nursery which Mikaeel usually attends said that he was not there on Wednesday because he was unwell, although his twin sister attended as usual, according to the Scotsman.
Ms McAinsh thanked locals for their help in looking for Mikaeel, and urged volunteers to gather this morning at a search centre set up by police.
'We are obviously deeply concerned that we have had no sightings of Mikaeel,' she said. 'All lines of inquiry in the investigation remain open, we are pursuing many lines of inquiry.
'I would ask anyone who has got any information to get in touch with us. We still have no evidence of any criminality at this point.'
