POCSO accused out on bail kills six

metro india news  I hyderabad

A horrifying crime spree in Ranga Reddy district has left six people dead, including a minor girl, her family members, and the wife and children of the accused. Police said 35-year-old Rajkumar, already facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, carried out the murders late Friday night in Shabad.

The sequence of events began when Rajkumar abducted the 17-year-old girl who had filed a complaint against him for stalking and sexual harassment. CCTV footage shows him shoving her into a car near her home. He drove her to a lake about three kilometres away, where he allegedly raped and murdered her.

Rajkumar then returned to the girl’s house and attacked her family. He stabbed and killed her 45-year-old mother and 65-year-old grandmother. Her 20-year-old sister, who is differently abled, was present but was not harmed.

After committing these murders, Rajkumar went to his own house in Shabad. He convinced his wife, Parvathi Saritha, 30, that he wanted to meet the children. Once inside, he attacked her. When she tried to escape, he chased and killed her. He then murdered his two sons, aged four and one, who were asleep at the time. Relatives later said the children appeared to have been killed in their sleep, while Saritha’s body showed signs of a violent struggle.

Following the killings, Rajkumar called his father and confessed. “He told his father, ‘I have done this. I have murdered these people.’ He also said he was going to die by suicide, but that has not been confirmed yet,” senior police officer Tarun Joshi stated.

Rajkumar’s phone has been switched off since then, and he remains on the run. Police Commissioner Joshi said five special teams have been formed to track him down. “We have developed leads. He will be apprehended soon,” he assured.

Rajkumar and Saritha had a love marriage in 2018. They initially lived outside their village before settling in Shabad and Devalaguda. The couple had three children, but their first daughter died in infancy. In May, Rajkumar was arrested after the minor girl lodged a complaint under the POCSO Act. He was accused of following her from coaching classes to her home and pressuring her to accept his proposal. Though he absconded initially, he later secured anticipatory bail on a personal bond of Rs 20,000, as the charges carried less than seven years’ punishment.

Police revealed that Rajkumar had a history of behavioural issues. “We called him two or three times for counselling. His family members have stated that his mental condition was not stable. He also had a gambling habit and had accumulated loans earlier,” Joshi said.

Forensic teams have examined both crime scenes. Investigators are piecing together the timeline of the murders, which lasted nearly two hours, and are verifying the exact motive. Family members said there were no major disputes between Rajkumar and Saritha before the incident. She had spoken normally with relatives the previous evening. The brutal killings have shocked the community, with locals demanding stricter bail provisions in cases involving sexual offences. Police continue their search for Rajkumar, while the investigation into his motive and mental state is ongoing.