SHEIKHUPURA, July 24: Unidentified serial killer retuned to haunt Muridke residents once again as a six-year-old child was found butchered on Saturday.

Tajammul Hussain, the fifth minor butchered in same fashion during the last three months, was the resident of Moazzam Colony, Daoke.

The deceased went missing when he followed his mother to a nearby market in the morning.

Already frightened over the killing of four minors who also disappeared mysteriously before being butchered, Tajammul's parents, relatives and neighbours launched an extensive search. However, after some hectic efforts they could only find his body lying in an under-construction house just opposite the deceased's residence. His stomach and neck had been cut by some sharp-edged weapon.

Earlier, four children - Tehseen Haider, Irfan, Ramzan and Tehmina Riaz - were butchered in a similar fashion and in the same locality.

The police had earlier claimed that killers of four children had been arrested.

Meanwhile, Sheikhupura range DIG Syed Saqlain Naqvi, DPO Chaudhry Nawaz Warraich, SP Rai Tahir, SP (Investigation) Dr Suleman Sultan Rana hastened to the spot along with a heavy police contingent.

The DIG said it was only after the investigation that the police could attribute the incident to the serial killings of the children. He said the police had also arranged sniffer dogs.

He said union council Nazims and councillors with the coordination of police had started preparing a list of people living in rented houses in the locality.

The DIG said that killers of four children - Hafiz Arshad, Imdad Hussain alias Malang Baba and Ashiq Hussain had already confessed to their crime. One of them was also handed down death sentence by a local court.

The accused, he said, might be spreading terror and wanted to create panic in the area. The DIG said that three investigation teams, led by SP Rai Tahir, SP (Investigation) Dr Suleman and ASP Muridke Ali Imran, were constituted to trace the killers.