British police are poised to make the first arrests in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann.
The Met want to quiz three burglars who carried out raids in the Portuguese resort when the three-year-old vanished.
Officers were last night preparing to fly to the Algarve to make their first arrests since the force set up Operation Grange in 2011 to review the kidnapping.
They hope to speak to the thieves after mobile phone records showed the men made numerous calls to each other in the hours after she disappeared.
The Crown Prosecution Service has sent an International Letter of Request to Portuguese police seeking permission to arrest the trio.
A spokesman for Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry said: “The letter is a significant development. It is necessary for British police to request the Portuguese authorities allow them to operate on their turf.
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