Hyderabad: A 35-year-old farmer on Hyderabad’s outskirts went on a murderous rampage on Friday night, killing six persons, including a teenage girl who had filed a case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for stalking her. He also killed the girl’s mother and maternal grandmother, before returning home and slaughtering his wife and two minor sons.As police officials launched a massive manhunt for the absconding accused, a sub-inspector who investigated the Pocso case two months earlier in May was suspended for failing to arrest him immediately after an FIR was registered in May.Officials identified the accused as P Raj Kumar, a resident of Daivalaguda hamlet near Shabad, about 60 km from Hyderabad. Investigators said the killings unfolded over a span of less than two hours across multiple locations in Shabad town and the nearby hamlet.Raj Kumar drove about six kilometres from his village to Shabad around 10.45 pm. Before heading to the girl’s house, he allegedly consumed beer nearby and then knocked on the door. When the girl’s 42-year-old mother opened it, Raj Kumar fatally stabbed her with a knife. He then entered the house and killed the girl’s 60-year-old grandmother while she was sleeping. The accused allegedly forced the 16-year-old girl out of the house and took her away in a car parked nearby.“Raj Kumar did not harm the girl’s 20-year-old mentally challenged sister, who was also at home,” a Shabad police officer said. Raj Kumar drove to a lake near his hamlet, where he stabbed the teenager and dumped her body near the bund.The accused then headed home. Investigators said he entered his house at 11.20 pm and left six minutes later after allegedly slitting the throats of his wife Saritha (31), and their two sons, Parikshit (4) and Daivikshit (18 months), while they slept.After the killings, Raj Kumar called up his father, Arun Kumar alias Anjaiah, who lives in Shabad, at around 11.57 pm and confessed to the murders. He allegedly told his father that he intended to die by suicide before switching off his phone. His father immediately alerted relatives and village elders, following which police officials were informed.Shabad police rushed to both crime scenes to collect forensic evidence. The bodies of Saritha and her children were shifted to Osmania General Hospital, while the bodies of the teenager, her mother and grandmother were taken to the Chevella govt hospital for post-mortem. Police said there was no evidence of rape in the post-mortem examination.During the preliminary investigation, police found that Raj Kumar was allegedly addicted to gambling and betting. “He was also addicted to ganja. Due to his gambling addiction, he has incurred about Rs 2 crore debt. He had about about five acres of agricultural land in the village and had sold a part of it to clear his debts. This happened much before the registration of the Pocso case,” said a senior police officer.Future City police commissioner Tarun Joshi said seven special teams had been formed to track down the accused. “We have launched a manhunt to trace him. At this point, we do not know what might have triggered him to kill the girl, her family and his own family members,” Joshi said.Raj Kumar was previously booked in an assault case under section 323 of the IPC apart from the Pocso case. Investigators also traced the car allegedly used in the murders abandoned on the roadside at Chegur village, about 10 km from his hamlet.Teams are analysing CCTV footage from multiple locations to reconstruct his movements and establish his escape route.Two separate murder cases have been registered at Shabad police station under section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Future City police have also announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the accused.Members of the public have been asked to contact the Chevella police control room on phone No. 8712665324 with any information on Raj Kumar’s whereabouts.Meanwhile, Rangareddy district collector C Narayana Reddy said the govt has sanctioned an immediate ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the mentally challenged sister of the Posco case victim. “She will also be provided an Indiramma house, if required. As she needs continuous care and support, efforts will be made to accommodate her in a govt-supported facility for persons with disabilities,” the collector said.
