Police have received a total of 12 reports from persons who have alleged to have sighted missing Madeleine McCann in Malta. The latest report was made on Friday where an anonymous caller told Police that the 4-year-old British girl might have been spotted in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on Thursday. A further report, also filed on Friday, claimed that a similar looking girl was also seen in Marsascala about a fortnight ago.

Police have launched a full-scale investigation coordinated by the Department of Investigation of Serious Crimes. At present Police are attempting to confirm the alleged sightings and retrace the girl if she is indeed in Malta. Although Police efforts so far have proved fruitless, active investigations are ongoing.

In a statement on Friday, Maltese Police said that they are keeping in touch with foreign Police forces involved in the case to keep them updated with the latest happenings.

Police officials stationed in Maltese ports are also monitoring all passengers and vehicles leaving the island. Pictures of the girl have been distributed in ports and Police officers on patrol.

The first report of a sighting of the missing girl reached the Maltese Police on the 27th May. A Maltese national claimed the girl had been seen in Valletta in the company of a man one week earlier. Investigations began immediately afterwards.

A second report was filed on the 17th June, when two British women claimed to have seen a girl remarkably similar to Madeleine McCann near the Floriana bus terminus. The girl was seen in company of a middle-aged woman. The two boarded a bus headed for Qawra and alit it once they reached St Paul’s Bay.

Following media reports pertaining to the case which were published in the media on Thursday, Police received seven further reports of alleged sightings. Police said that the reports were given by six women, one man and an anonymous person. The person or persons allegedly accompanying the child differed in the reports. The girl was allegedly seen in Valletta, Sliema, Mdina and Marsascala in the days and weeks leading up to Thursday, 21st June.

Also on Thursday, a Maltese man approached Police with an image of a girl resembling Madeleine which was snapped by a mobile phone during the Żejtun feast on Sunday. However, an analysis of the photograph revealed that the pictured girl is not Madeleine.

The latest report was made on Friday when an anonymous caller told Police that the 4-year-old girl might have been seen in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on Thursday. A further report, also filed on Friday, claimed that a similar looking girl was also seen in Marsascala about a fortnight ago.

In Friday’s statement Police also denied that they received a report from Ray Roberts, who claimed to have seen Madeleine wearing a black wig in company of an Arab man. Ray Roberts, from Anglesey, north Wales, told British tabliod The Sun that a child resembling the missing four-year-old was spotted in Sliema. Police also denied that Mr Roberts gave evidence in front of the inquiring Magistrate.

Police have called on the general public to continue forwarding any information it might have, even in a confidential manner on telephone numbers 119 or 21 2122111.

Madeleine McCann, who has been missing for fifty days, since the 3rd of May, disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, Portugal. It is believed that she was kidnapped.

Madeleine McCann, of Leicester, turned four on the 12th of May.

Her parents Kate and Gerry have been searching for their daughter ever since she went missing. The girl's parents have searched for her in Morocco as well as Portugal. At the end of May they also met with Pope Benedict XVI where they spoke about the girl's disappearance. The couple has also made numerous media appeals in a bid to find the child.

With Friday marking the 50th day since her disappearance, 50 balloons were released in 50 locations around the world. Her parents started the ceremony by releasing balloons on the beach in Praia da Luz.

In an interview with Sky the McCanns talked about the Bryan Adams song Everything I do I Do It For You, which the Canadian singer - who will be holding a concert in Malta next week - has given the 'Find Madeleine' campaign permission to use as part of the publicity drive.

"That song, at the minute, best reflects how Kate and I feel emotionally and how determined we are to continue searching for Madeleine," Gerry McCann said.