LAHORE: The bodies of the three minor boys, who had gone missing three days ago, were found in a pond at a brick kiln at Makhdoom Rasheed town in Multan district on Wednesday.

According to their families, the boys Kashif (12), his brother Mursaleen (10) and their 10-yearold cousin Arslan all of Basti Judge, on Tuesday morning together went to attend a religious event being held in a nearby locality, but did not return home till the evening.

The families and relatives got worried and launched a search on their own, but of no avail.

They reported the matter to the Makhdoom Rasheed police station The police, on the complaint of Nazir Ahmed, the father of two of the boys, registered a kidnap case againstunidentiñed persons.

On Wednesday afternoon, some localsfoundthe bodies ofthe three boys lying in a pond at a nearbybrick kiln, and informed their families and the police.

Police shifted the bodies to the morgue for autopsy and added murderchargesin the case.

Abdul Rehman, an uncle of the victims, talking to Dawn said he and his relatives had been looking for the boys all night in and around the brick kiln, but could not find them.

He said he was sure the boys were murdered and their killer(s) dumped the bodies in the pond at the brick kiln. He claimed there were torture marks on the bodies.

Regional Police Officer Riffat Mukhtar Raja took notice of the incident and sought a report from Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Khurrum Shehzad Haider.

He ordered arrest of those involved in the kidnapping and killing of the boys within 24 hours.

The CPO said there were no torture marl(s on the bodies that were found in a nine feet and four inches deep pond. He added that facts would be known after the bodies` postmortem examination.