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A man was arrested today by detectives investigating the unsolved murder of schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
In a possibly significant breakthrough, the 40-year-old was being questioned about the disposal of a red Daewoo Nexia car.
The suspect held ran a MoT testing centre in west London at the time of the 13-year-old's murder.
Investigators believe prime suspect Levi Bellfield used the car to transport Milly's body from Walton-on- Thames.
Hammer killer Bellfield, 41, was jailed for life in February for the murders in west London of 22-year-old French shop assistant Amelie Delagrange
and gap-year student Marsha McDonnell, 19.
Police believe he also abducted Milly from the street as she walked home from school in Walton on 21 March 2002 before killing her and using the
car to dispose of her body. Her remains were found in woodland near Fleet, Hampshire, six months later.
The car was caught on CCTV being driven away from the scene half an hour after Milly vanished. It was reported stolen from a pub car park in Hounslow several days later and has not been seen since. Detectives believe it was crushed by an associate of Bellfield.
Surrey Police have launched a hunt for the car, which they believe could still hold vital forensic evidence.
In a recent prison interview Bellfield admitted that at the time he had been driving the Daewoo, which was owned by his girlfriend, but he persisted in denying involvement in the murder.
It is understood the suspect being interviewed is unlikely to be charged with any criminal offences today.
He is believed to have known Bellfield at the time.
A Surrey Police spokeswoman said: “A 40-year-old man from west London was arrested by Surrey Police at 10am this morning after voluntarily attending a police station.
“He is being questioned about the potential disposal of a red Daewoo Nexia car, which police have appealed for information about as part of their investigation into the murder of Milly
Dowler.”
The death of Amanda Dowler, known as Milly, remains one of Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes.
Officers have been painstakingly building a case against Bellfield since he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in November 2004 for a series
of hammer murders and attempted killings.
