DESPERATE cops are plotting a "game-changing" move to snare the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, an insider has claimed.
Ex-pal turned police informer Helge -B is currently assisting officers investigating Christian B.
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Police scouring the Arade Dam reservoir Credit: Dan Charity 6
Christian B is the prime suspect in Maddie's disappearance 6
Maddie disappeared from her holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 Credit: Handout
And the Sun Online understands police plan to hand a dossier on Christian B, 45, to his former friend in a bid to throw up fresh leads.
They also want to speak to Helge B, 52, about a number of new leads they are working on.
Our insider said: "Helge spent many years at the side of Christian B travelling with him and being his partner in crime.
"This means he has a huge amount of knowledge about where Christian was, what he was doing and what his motivations were for him being in particular places at specific times.
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"There are a number of leads and clues officers have on Christian that they think Helge could provide more information on.
"They genuinely do believe he can be a game-changer in their investigation into Christian B."
Portuguese Police however are less sure.
Sun Online understands that officers in the Algarve resort where Maddie went missing think German cops are "running down dark alleys".
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A source said: "They seem to think he holds all the cards, but Portuguese detectives regard him more like a crank and a joker.
"A lot of what the German officers are doing is basically going back through old leads and down dark alleys."
Sniffer dogs and radar were used during the three-day search last month of Arade Dam reservoir.
The prime suspect, German national Christian B, referred to the remote Algarve spot as his "little paradise".
According to German tabloid Bild, however, detectives are likely to say that the evidence they need to nail B is not there.
Last week we told how the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance boasted about being a "master criminal", a leading witness revealed.
Christian B is also alleged to have bragged about how he could outwit cops – telling pals it was easier to get away with crimes in Portugal than in Germany.
Helge -B is understood to have told police of Christian B's gloats amid a fresh probe into the convicted sex offender.
Helge B met Christian B a year before Maddie vanished aged three and was the person who identified Christian B to cops in connection with her disappearance.
A source in Portugal, who is close to the investigation, told The Sun: "Helge B has spoken at length to officers about the time he spent with Christian B, where they were carrying out crimes together side by side.
"He told them how Christian B often boasted of being really, really good at what he did, a master criminal and how the police were useless.
"He was particularly disparaging about Portuguese officers saying it was much easier to get away with stuff in Portugal than in Germany."
It comes after The Sun on Sunday revealed how Helge B claimed Christian B had a burglary tool kit that could unlock any security door.
He boasted about the tools, which raise fresh doubts over the official theory that -Maddie’s kidnapper clambered in through a window of holiday apartment 5a in Praia da Luz.
German police are said to be "electrified" by the lock pick kit discovery — and are also probing the possibility Christian B used car paint solvent to sedate Maddie.
German prosecutors hope to use the lock picks evidence to nail Christian B, who is in jail for drugs crimes and appealing a seven-year sentence for raping a woman of 72.
Helge B said he found the kit at Christian B's Algarve home.
The petty criminal had decided to ransack it with friend Manfred Seyferth after learning Christian B was serving time for theft.
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Helge B, who kept the kit and told German police about it, added: "You can use it to pick any lock, including security locks."
The 14 picks, seen by The Sun on Sunday, are black stainless steel and each is designed for a -specific door type.
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Ex-pal turned police informer Helge -B is currently assisting officers 6
Holes dug apparently for soil samples in the area around Barragem do Arade reservoir Credit: PA 6
Police prepare to search a reservoir for the body of Maddie Credit: Reuters