Police investigate child killings in Pakistan
EDITORS NOTE, QUALITY AS INCOMING
A possible serial rapist and killer is preying on children in eastern Pakistan.
The latest victim: eight year old Muhammad Faizan.
His body was recently discovered on an industrial estate.
Nearby, the remains of two more boys.
Officials say they have 20 suspects in custody and are testing DNA samples for a match.
Faizan is one of several children who have gone missing this year in Kasur - a district with a troubling history of child abuse.
He disappeared two weeks ago on his way home from nearby shops.
His mother says she prayed for years to have a son.
She calls his killer a monster.
(SOUNDBITE) (Punjabi) MOTHER OF 8-YEAR-OLD MUHAMMAD FAIZAN, AMTAL SALAM, SAYING:
"A pole should be erected in the market square here and he should be hanged from it. "
Locals are angry, too
After Faizan's body was discovered, hundreds turned out to protest, demanding law enforcement act more quickly.
(SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) LOCAL COLLEGE STUDENT, MUHAMMAD WASEEM, SAYING:
"If the police would start searching when a child is reported missing then these three children would not have been killed."
Kasur has a grim reputation when it comes to child abuse.
Last year, the body of a 7-year-old girl was found in a garbage dumpster
According to police, she was one of twelve girls to suffer the same fate in a year.
But activists say the problem of child abuse extends across Pakistan.
Watchdog Sahil reported more than 3,800 cases of violence and sexual abuse against children last year.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed a shakeup of law enforcement in Kasur and an investigation.
Authorities are also urging parents to keep a close eye on their children.
