The prime suspect behind the murder of four minor boys in Chunian, Suhail Shehzad, was remanded into police custody on Wednesday.

A Lahore anti-terrorism court approved the remand for 15 days under the supervision of Judge Abdul Qayum Khan.

“What is your name?” the court asked the suspect. “Do you wish to state anything for the record?” “Please do not let the police beat me up in custody,” Shehzad pleaded before the court.

The court also ordered a medical examination of the suspect.

The apprehension of Shehzad, 27, was announced by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday. He said DNA samples from 1,649 people were profiled and once the culprit was caught, his DNA matched a “100 percent” with the samples collected from the crime scene.

Four children between eight to 12 years of age had gone missing since June in Chunian city of Punjab’s Kasur district. Later, the police recovered remains of minors who were murdered after being raped.