NOIDA, Dec 29: Indian police on Friday discovered the decomposing bodies of a number of children buried behind a house outside New Delhi and arrested two men, one of whom confessed to sexually abusing and killing at least seven children, officials said.

As police searched the property in Noida, a township east of the capital, word spread that as many as 38 children had gone missing in the past few years in the area, raising fears that dozens more bodies could be found.

There were also conflicting reports of how many bodies had been found at the house with one police officer, who asked not to be identified because the investigation was ongoing, saying that he had seen 12 skulls uncovered at the house.

The police chief for the area, R.K.S. Rathore, said that after the bodies, many of them in parts, were found, the alleged killer, a domestic servant at the house, confessed to luring at least seven children to the home and killing them.

“Now we’re investigating further and in due course we’ll come to know more details, including the number of bodies,” Rathore said.

Authorities later called off the search of the house for the night, but said they planned to resume on Saturday.

Rathore said the man went by the names Satish or Surendra, but did not provide his full name.

Rathore also said the owner of the house, Mohinder Singh, had also been arrested, although investigators had not yet determined if he had any direct role in the killings.

According to Rathore, Satish told them that he lured the children to the house with the promise of chocolate and sweets so he could sexually assault and kill them. Satish was found with a missing girl’s mobile phone, and suspicious police went to the house, Rathore said.—AP