The body of Raj Kumar, the accused in the murder of six people in Shabad mandal of Rangareddy district, was found by the roadside in a remote stretch of Penjerla village near Kothur on Monday. The police suspect that he consumed a herbicide, leading to his death. The body was discovered nearly 63 hours after the killings, bringing an end to an intensive manhunt involving 13 police teams across Telangana.
A villager alerted the police after spotting the body in an isolated area, and the police later confirmed the identity of the body based on evidence recovered from the scene. Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi stated that investigators recovered several articles from the body, including bus tickets, a one-litre herbicide bottle, and ₹1,206 in cash. The accused’s mobile phone was found in airplane mode.
A video recorded by the accused on his mobile phone was also recovered, in which he claimed that the minor girl’s family had threatened to implicate him in criminal cases if he did not comply with their demands. The accused stated that he had decided to kill the girl, her mother, and grandmother before killing his own family and taking his own life. He repeatedly stated that his wife and children had no role in the dispute. However, the police stressed that the allegations made by the accused would be verified independently.
The killings took place late on Friday night at two locations about six kilometres apart. The accused first fatally attacked a minor girl who had earlier lodged a case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (PoCSO) Act, along with her mother and grandmother. He then returned home and allegedly killed his wife, Sarita, and their two young sons, aged four years and one-and-a-half years.
The investigating officer in the earlier case was subsequently placed under suspension pending an inquiry. The post-mortem examination will ascertain the exact cause of death, while forensic examination of the recovered material, including the mobile phone and video, is continuing.
