Vijayawada police have arrested a 29-year-old man on charges of sodomising eight boys aged between 8 and 11, and killing another 11-year-old boy. Police suspect the real number of victims could be anywhere around 20.

Police officers said the case came to light when the body of the 11-year-old was found in an abandoned building. Police found eight boys who claimed they had been sexually abused by Gundu Shiva. The police claimed Shiva confessed that Raghu died while he was trying to sodomise him. The construction worker also claimed that one of the boys ‘supplied him’ with more boys, and that he gave them between Rs 20 and 30 everytime he abused them.

ACP Vijay Kumar said the 11-year-old went missing in February. “He was last seen giving a man a lift on his cycle. His body was found three months later in an abandoned building.”

During investigations, police found the boy had been sexually abused. They launched a search for the cyclist. Meanwhile, another police unit reported that a boy had complained that he was being abused by Shiva. “With his help we were able to trace eight boys who had been abused by Shiva,” said Kumar. Shiva was taken into custody. During interrogation he admitted to abducting the boy. He has been sent in judicial custody and charged with murder.