Fears for asylum boy

A major hunt was under way today for a boy of three who disappeared from a hotel used by asylum seekers.

Detectives fear for the safety of Rossi Matuvovo who has not been seen for almost a month.

Immigration officials lost touch with the boy after a man claiming to be his father was arrested after trying to catch a Eurostar to France on false papers.

Police are investigating the possibility that Rossi was being trafficked to Europe from Africa.

The man, named by police as Fernando Matuvovo, was initially travelling with him from Angola to Rome, with a stop-over in London.

But when they arrived in Italy, they were sent back to Heathrow for not having the correct documentation. The pair were dealt with by immigration officials and placed in the Thornecliffe Hotel in Hounslow, a staging post for refugees.

Two weeks later, Matuvovo was arrested trying to travel to France. He was alone and claimed he had left Rossi in a cr裨e at the hotel.

But no one at the Thornecliffe Hotel had seen Rossi that day and the creche was closed when he was supposed to have been left there.

Police inquiries have revealed Matuvovo also goes by the name Nkilankosi.

In recent days two witnesses have come forward claiming they have seen the boy at the hotel in the last few weeks. Officers are also trying to establish if he is be being looked after by friends or relatives who have failed to inform the authorities of his whereabouts.

Detective Inspector Andrew Rose of Hounslow CID said: "We are desperately trying to establish Rossi's whereabouts so we can find him safe and well.

"I think that this child is in the UK somewhere within the Angolan community and we are appealing for anyone who knows anything about him to come forward."

Yesterday asylum seekers at the 400-room hotel near the M4 told of their shock at the disappearance.

Thousands of children are smuggled into Britain and Europe every year. Many are forced to work as thieves or prostitutes but some parents pay to send their children to Britain for a better life.

They often arrive unaccompanied to be met by traffickers who pass them on to "relatives". In September 2001 the limbless and headless body of a five-year-old boy, given the name Adam by detectives, was found in the Thames. He was believed to have been a ritual killing victim and trafficked from Nigeria.

Anyone with information on Rossi's whereabouts should call 0208 247 6224 or the National Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700 700.