London, Sept 30 : In a major development in the Madeleine McCann case, police have launched a search for a new suspect, an irate ex-employee, after receiving a tip-off from the Prince Charles.

An anonymous e-mail sent to the Prince’s website says that the Brit toddler, who went missing during a family vacation in Portugal in May, was kidnapped by an angry ex-employee.

The informer claimed that a maid sacked from the Mark Warner Ocean Club holiday resort made way with the three-year-old in a revenge plot.

The British police think that the tipster passed on the information to Prince Charles and Camilla since the two have been taking personal interest in the case and have come out openly with their support for the kid’s parents, Kate and Gerry.

The news from the whistleblower has been passed onto Scotland Yard.

The detectives are trying to trace the writer, and sources have revealed that the information seems to be accurate.

"It's incredibly detailed and so far, from the inquiries being made in Portugal, it appears to be based on factual events,” News of the World quoted a source as saying.

"UK officers have been taking a back seat in the hunt for Madeleine as it's a Portuguese inquiry. But they couldn't ignore this information. Any clue, which could shed new light on the case, will be dealt with seriously. This could be very significant,” the source added.

The news comes when Portuguese police are still considering the theory that the girl may have been accidentally killed by Kate who was helped by Gerry to cover up the alleged crime.

The police also claim that the girl’s body may have been kept in a fridge before being dumped.

Police have opined a "mysterious and fatal " 90 minutes, when Kate was left alone in her apartment with her children, while Gerry was playing Tennis.

But, McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell denied the Portuguese claims calling it "utterly ridiculous". Mitchell has pleaded for an end to the smear campaign. (With inputs from ANI)