In a tragic turn of events, Raj Kumar, who was accused of murdering six individuals in the Shabad mandal of Rangareddy district on Friday night, has reportedly died by suicide. Authorities revealed that he consumed a suspected herbicide in a remote area of Penjerla village, situated about 20 kilometers from his residence in Daivalaguda.
The police confirmed on Monday that Kumar’s body was discovered approximately 63 hours after the alleged killings, which prompted an extensive manhunt involving 13 police teams across the state of Telangana.
A local villager alerted the police via Dial 100 around 3 p.m. after discovering a body in an isolated section of the village. Law enforcement later identified the body as belonging to Kumar, supported by evidence collected from the site.
Investigation Details
Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi informed the media that several items were recovered from Kumar’s body, which are currently undergoing examination.
“We found some bus tickets on him. We have to check the evidence found on him and verify all this. We found a one-litre herbicide bottle. Prima facie, it appears he consumed it and that could be the possible cause of death. We found ₹1,206 in cash on him. His mobile phone was in airplane mode,”
said Commissioner Joshi. Additionally, investigators recovered a video recorded by Kumar on his mobile phone.
“We found a video in the photo gallery. As per the video, he made it at 4.55 p.m. on the day of the murders. It clearly says that he was fed up with things, wanted to kill them all and then kill himself. He had conveyed the same to his father as well,”
Mr. Joshi remarked. In the yet-to-be-authenticated recording, Kumar claimed that the family of a minor girl he had allegedly victimized threatened to implicate him in criminal matters if he did not agree to their demands. The police noted that these claims remain unverified.
In the concluding segment of the video, Kumar declared his intention to kill the girl, her mother, and grandmother before turning against his own family. He emphasized that his wife and children were not involved in the dispute.
Investigation Continues
Authorities stressed that the contents of the video will play a crucial role in the ongoing investigation, but confirmed that the alleged accusations would be independently verified.
On the night of the murders, the accused is believed to have killed six individuals at two different locations approximately six kilometers apart. Initial reports indicate that he first attacked the minor girl who had previously filed a complaint against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (PoCSO) Act, followed by the girl’s mother and grandmother. Following these attacks, Kumar reportedly returned home and killed his wife Sarita and their two young sons aged four and one-and-a-half years.
Moreover, the investigating officer responsible for the earlier case has been suspended pending inquiries.
As the investigation unfolds, police have confirmed that a post-mortem examination will determine the precise cause of Kumar’s death, while forensic analysis of the recovered evidence, including the mobile phone and video, is ongoing.
