Pakistani police have detained 20 suspects as they investigate the possibility of a serial killer being behind the suspected murder and sexual assault of three boys in a district that has a history of child abuse and abduction.

The body of 8-year-old Muhammad Faizan was found on an industrial estate, after he went missing on the way home from nearby shops. The remains of two more boys were found nearby.

Local media reported three other children from the area had been missing since the middle of the year and another child had disappeared late last week after the bodies were found