The police officer heading the investigation into the disappearance of Elgin mother Arlene Fraser believes she may have been murdered or abducted.

Detective Inspector Peter Simpson says that the ''vibes'' the police are picking up during their extensive inquiries suggest that most people in the Moray town expect Mrs Fraser to ''simply come back on the next bus''.

''We don't expect that,'' he said. ''Although we cannot be 100% certain at this stage, given the work we have done, the fact there have been no sightings and no indication of what might have happened to her, I personally fear she has been the victim of a criminal act.''

Mr Simpson said he believed that criminal act may have happened at or near Mrs Fraser's home between 8.50am and 11am on the day she vanished. He urged anyone who might have any information, even if they believed it irrelevant, to contact them.

He said the police believed there could be people who had not come forward because they expected Mrs Fraser simply to return, but they should contact the police and allow them to determine whether the information was relevant.

Mr Simpson was also aware of rumours that Mrs Fraser was having a relationship with someone in Elgin, but said the police had been unable to identify anyone with whom that was the case.

Mrs Fraser, 33, a business studies student at Moray College in Elgin, is separated from her husband, Nat, 39, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler, who is currently on bail after appearing at Elgin Sheriff Court accused of attempting to murder his wife about two months ago.

Mrs Fraser was last seen at 8.50am on Tuesday April 28 by her two children, Jamie, 10, and Natalie, 5, as she waved them off to school.

Since then there has been no sighting of her. Her bungalow in Smith Street was found with the door unlocked and inside was ''as if she had just popped out to the shops''.