Mikaeel Kular: Mother arrested and charged

The search continues for missing Mikaeel Kular. Pictures: PA

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Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, in a late-night press conference, said a 33-year-old woman would appear in court in Edinburgh tomorrow.

The body of Mikaeel, who was reported missing from his home in Edinburgh last week, was last night driven away by ambulance from an area of woodland in the Fife town of Kirkcaldy.

His mother, Rosdeep Kular, had spent 24 hours in custody being questioned by police following the discovery of the boy’s body at around midnight on Friday in a wooded area behind a property in Kirkcaldy’s Dunvegan Avenue. It is believed Kular formerly lived at the address which it is now occupied by her sister, Mikaeel’s aunt.

A post-mortem examination is believed to have taken place yesterday afternoon.

At a small park in Edinburgh near the Ferry Gait Crescent flat where the family lived, floral tributes, soft toys and candles were left. One tribute read: “RIP Mikaeel Kular. May the angels hold you tight.”

Hundreds of people, many of them families, gathered last night in West Pilton Park for a mass release of balloons and Chinese lanterns. Kelly Hunter, a local woman who set up the event on Facebook, said: “I know some people are angry, hurt, upset. But we are not here to speculate. We are simply here to say goodbye to a wee angel.”

Hundreds more queued to get into a memorial service at Muirhouse St Andrew’s Church, close to the home Mikaeel shared with his mother, twin sister and three other siblings.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the discovery of the body was “the news we have all been dreading”.

“The hearts of everyone across Scotland and beyond have been touched by the events of recent days,” he said.

“We should at this difficult time remember the work of the officers of Police Scotland who have responded to this difficult task and investigation and shown such professionalism and dedication.”

Scotland on Sunday can confirm that social workers from Fife Council had been in regular touch with Kular during the time she and her family lived in Kirkcaldy.

But last night there was a question mark over whether social work scrutiny of the family continued when they moved to Edinburgh 18 months ago. Edinburgh Council sources confirmed their social work department did not have a file on the family.Questions about social work involvement are likely to come under intense scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, more details of Rosdeep Kular’s background began to emerge. A single mother with five children, she worked full-time running her own mobile health and beauty studio, and had an HND in beauty therapy from Fife College. She grew up in Fife and her father died when she was a teenager. Her mother has since remarried twice, most recently to Dr Bangarpet Krishnaswamy, a GP and property developer. She was married, at 24, to Nigerian Omotoso Adekoya, and gave birth to her first child shortly afterwards. The pair split and she had Mikaeel and his twin sister in 2010 to a Pakistani man.

Mikaeel’s disappearance last week sparked a massive search with hundreds of volunteers involved.

‘Tragic development’

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said on Saturday: “This is a tragic development in this harrowing story and the news that we have all been dreading. The hearts of everyone across Scotland and beyond have been touched by the events of recent days.

“We should at this difficult time remember the work of the officers of Police Scotland who have responded to this difficult task and investigation and shown such professionalism and dedication.

“Above all the efforts and solidarity of the local community in Edinburgh should be applauded. In the most tragic of circumstances they volunteered to make their very best efforts to help this young child.”

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “I would like to echo the First Minister’s words and praise the excellent work done by Police Scotland who have worked tirelessly to find Mikaeel during this difficult and harrowing time.

“And I would also like to commend the residents of Edinburgh for the outstanding way in which they have supported the work of Police Scotland over recent days. I know that the police have greatly valued the assistance that has been provided by many members of the public who have helped with the search.

“The police investigation into this tragic matter continues over the next few days and anyone with information which might be relevant to the investigation should contact Police Scotland.”