The body of a five-year-old boy has been discovered inside a parked car in a community in Imo State, South-east Nigeria, after he went missing for five days, The Nation newspaper has reported.

The incident occurred at Ishiuzor, Egbu Community, in Owerri North Local Government Area of the state.

The boy went missing after he was sent on an errand to buy sachet water in the neighbourhood. A search party later discovered the body inside the parked car at the compound he went to buy the water, The Nation said.

The victim’s parents and the community are suspecting the boy may have been killed and the body dumped inside the car.

The police spokesperson in Imo State, Orlando Ikeokwu, said a woman and her husband who runs a provisions store where the late boy ought to have bought the water from, have been arrested and the case transferred to the police headquarters in Owerri for investigation, the paper said.