Melbourne: Man arrested in missing Jill Meagher hunt

Detectives hunting for an Irish woman missing in Australia have arrested a man.

Police in Melbourne detained the 41-year-old man as the search for Jill Meagher enters its sixth day.

Victoria Police said officers from its homicide squad missing persons unit were questioning the man, from the Coburg suburb of the city,

"He is currently in custody assisting police with their inquiries," a spokeswoman said.

The arrest was made this afternoon local time in Australia, early this morning Irish time.

Mrs Meagher, 29, from Drogheda, Co Louth, was last seen leaving a bar in Melbourne in the early hours of Saturday after a night out with colleagues.

Her husband, Thomas, raised the alarm when she failed to make the five-minute walk to her home less than a mile from Bar Etiquette in Sydney Road, Brunswick, after leaving at around 1.30am local time.

The case took a twist after a handbag containing several items believed to belong to Mrs Meagher was found in a laneway off Hope Street. It was not discovered in an initial search of the area.

Mrs Meagher had been out with colleagues from Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.

Her disappearance has sparked a huge social media campaign to find her, with well-known presenters from ABC helping to spread the message.

CCTV footage released by the police in Australia showed Mrs Meagher talking to a man in a hooded top on the night she vanished.

Officers have been trying to trace six people in total who may have seen Ms Meagher after she left the bar. One man is understood to have come forward.

PA