A 35-year-old man accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case allegedly murdered six people, including the minor complainant, her mother and grandmother, besides his own wife and two young sons. He killed them in two separate attacks in Telangana's Rangareddy district late on the night of Friday, July 10. The accused remains absconding, and police have launched a manhunt to trace him.
The accused, identified as B Rajkumar, carried out the attacks between around 10.45 pm and midnight in Shabad town and his native village, located about six kilometres apart. Police suspect the killings were an act of revenge over the POCSO case registered against him in May.
Rajkumar had been booked under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act after a minor girl and her mother accused him of stalking and sexually harassing the girl. As the alleged offence carried a punishment of less than seven years, he was released on a personal bond of Rs 20,000.
Rajkumar had obtained anticipatory bail from a local court in June before being released on personal bond by the police.
According to the police, Rajkumar first drove to the complainant's residence in Shabad town. When the girl's mother opened the door, he allegedly attacked and killed her with a knife before entering the house and murdering the girl's grandmother, who was asleep.
He then allegedly forced the 16-year-old girl into his car and drove to a lake near his village, where he stabbed her to death before abandoning her body near the lake bund. The girl's mentally challenged sister, who was present in the house, was left unharmed.
Police said Rajkumar later returned to his own residence, where he murdered his 31-year-old wife, Sarita, and their two sons, aged four years and 18 months, while they were asleep.
After the killings, Rajkumar had called his father and informed him about the murders before fleeing in his car. His father subsequently approached the Shabad police station and alerted the police.
Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi and Deputy Commissioner of Police Yogesh Gautam visited both crime scenes and supervised the investigation. The murder weapon was recovered from one of the crime scenes.
Telangana Future City Commissioner Tarun Joshi said that they are on the lookout for the accused. “At this point, we do not know what might have triggered him to kill the girl, her family, and his own family members."