HYDERABAD: A selfie video recorded before the killings and a suicide note written on a Rs 100 stamp paper have revealed the alleged motive behind the Hyderabad mass murder case that left six people dead, including a 16-year-old girl.The revelations came after police ended a 60-hour manhunt on Monday by recovering the body of prime accused Raj Kumar from Telangana’s Rangareddy district. A pesticide bottle found beside the body pointed to suspected suicide.The body of Raj Kumar, the prime accused in the killings, was found on Monday in Penjerla village in Telangana’s Rangareddy district with a pesticide bottle lying beside it, indicating suspected suicide.According to future city police commissioner Tarun Joshi, investigators recovered Raj Kumar’s mobile phone, cash and bus tickets from the spot.His phone was found switched to flight mode. Police also recovered a selfie video recorded around 4pm on July 10 and a suicide note written on a Rs 100 stamp paper, which they say outlined his motive and plans before carrying out the killings.
Selfie video outlines alleged motive
According to police, Raj Kumar claimed in the video that he had entered into a relationship with the 16-year-old girl at her insistence and alleged that her family had repeatedly extorted money from him while threatening to expose the relationship to his wife if he refused to pay.He allegedly said he had lost his property, suffered severe financial losses and was left with little to provide for his two sons.“I decided to kill her family and then take the lives of my family, before I die. My family has no role in my decision,” he purportedly said in the video, portions of which were played by the police before the media.Police, however, said they did not find evidence to support Raj Kumar’s claims that he had financially supported the girl’s family.Investigators suspect Raj Kumar moved through several locations after the killings before reaching Penjerla village, where one of his relatives lives.Police believe he died either on the night of July 12 or the early hours of July 13. A post-mortem examination will determine the exact cause and time of death.
How the murders unfolded
According to investigators, Raj Kumar first went to the girl’s residence in Shabad and allegedly killed her mother and grandmother.He then allegedly abducted the 16-year-old girl in his car, drove her to a nearby lake and killed her with a knife.Police said he later returned home and allegedly murdered his wife and two minor sons before fleeing.The six murders followed a Pocso case registered against Raj Kumar in May after the girl’s family accused him of stalking and sexually harassing the minor.
Pocso case and bail
Police said Raj Kumar was accused of stalking the girl after she appeared for her intermediate examination on May 16. He allegedly held her hand and threatened to kill her and her mother when they resisted him.A case was registered under provisions relating to stalking, criminal intimidation and sexual harassment.While seeking anticipatory bail, Raj Kumar claimed he was not present at the examination centre on the day of the incident and asserted that he was with his wife, who had been admitted to a hospital.Investigators said they could not verify this claim as no CCTV footage or witnesses supported his version.Raj Kumar also denied allegations that he had installed CCTV cameras to monitor the girl’s movements and claimed the Pocso case was fabricated because the girl’s mother wanted to avoid repaying money allegedly owed to him by her late husband.Police, however, said they confirmed that Raj Kumar lived next door to the girl’s family and had installed CCTV cameras.They also said they found no evidence supporting his claim that he had spent large sums of money on the family.His anticipatory bail application was rejected twice before he secured relief from a Pocso court on the third attempt on June 12, as the offences invoked carried a punishment of less than seven years.The court directed him to cooperate with the investigation and barred him from contacting the girl or her mother.Police said they had also sought permission to record the girl’s statement before a magistrate, but she was killed before the court could fix a date.
Earlier suicide attempt
Investigators also revealed that Raj Kumar had reportedly attempted suicide in 2025 and underwent treatment at a private hospital for four days. Police said the attempt was linked to financial distress.The investigation into the six murders remains ongoing, with police examining Raj Kumar’s movements after the killings and the contents of the recovered video and suicide note.
