MELBOURNE police believe the killer of Hongkong-Australian schoolgirl Karmein Chan may have inside knowledge of police plans.
Two years after Karmein was abducted and murdered, Victorian police are trying to revive hopes in worried Melbourne parents that the man - dubbed Mr Cruel - will be caught.
Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Mr Neil O'Loughlin said yesterday: ''We are sure the net is tightening around the man responsible.'' John and Phyllis Chan, Karmein's restaurateur parents, emigrated from Hongkong 16 years ago.
They want to return to the territory or start a new life in the US but are trapped in Australia because of their failure to sell their business and home.
Karmein's abduction and murder - her body was found in a shallow grave on April 9 last year - has turned many Melbourne homes into fortresses as parents fear for their children. A safe neighbourhood is now cited by real estate agents as a major concern of Hongkong home-buyers.
And as police assure worried parents the A$3 million (HK$16.4 million) manhunt is not over, despite reports they are considering scaling down the Spectrum task force set up to find Mr Cruel, it has been revealed that he may have had inside knowledge.