Telangana Horror: POCSO Accused Out on Bail Allegedly Kills Six — Minor Complainant, Her Family, Wife and Two Children
A 35-year-old farmer, out on anticipatory bail in a POCSO case filed against him barely a week earlier, allegedly went on a nocturnal killing spree that left six people dead — the teenage girl who had accused him, her mother and grandmother, and his own wife and two young sons. As of this report, the accused remains absconding despite an intensive multi-team manhunt.
What Happened
On the night of Friday, 10 July 2026, between approximately 10:45 pm and 11:30 pm, a man identified by police as P. Rajkumar (35), a farmer from Daivalaguda village, allegedly carried out a series of coordinated attacks across two locations roughly six kilometres apart in Shabad mandal, Ranga Reddy district — on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
According to Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi, Rajkumar first drove to the residence of the 17-year-old girl who had filed a POCSO complaint against him in May 2026. When the girl's mother opened the door, he allegedly attacked and killed her with a knife, then entered the house and killed the girl's 65-year-old grandmother, who was asleep. He allegedly forced the teenager into his car and drove her to the vicinity of Akhil Sagar Cheruvu (lake) near Daivalaguda, where he stabbed her to death and left her body near the lake bund. Investigators have said there are indications the victim may have been sexually assaulted before her death, and forensic examinations are underway to confirm this.
He then allegedly proceeded to his own residence, where — within a span of just a few minutes — he slit the throats of his sleeping wife, Parvathi Saritha (30–33), and their two young sons, aged approximately two and four. The couple's elder child, a daughter, had reportedly died in infancy in an earlier, unrelated incident.
Notably, the minor complainant's elder sister — who has a physical and intellectual disability — was present in the house during the attack on the mother and grandmother but was not harmed.
Immediately after the killings, Rajkumar reportedly telephoned his father and confessed: "I have done this. I have murdered these people." He also stated he intended to die by suicide — a claim that remains unconfirmed — before switching off his mobile phone and fleeing in his car. His father alerted the Shabad police, who rushed to both crime scenes.
Timeline of the Night
The Victims
| Name | Age | Relation to Case |
|---|---|---|
| Minor girl (name withheld) | 17 | POCSO complainant against Rajkumar |
| Chityala Lakshmi | 45 | Mother of the complainant |
| Chityala Rukkamma | 65 | Grandmother of the complainant |
| Parvathi Saritha | 30–33 | Wife of the accused |
| Son 1 (Parikshit) | ~4 | Son of the accused |
| Son 2 (Daivikshit) | ~2 | Son of the accused |
Note: Minor names and select ages vary slightly across news agencies pending official confirmation; core facts are consistent across all cited sources.
The Background: How the POCSO Case Unfolded
Police say Rajkumar had been stalking and sexually harassing the 17-year-old girl, following her from her coaching institute to her home and pressuring her to accept a marriage proposal. The girl and her mother lodged a complaint on 16 May 2026, and Rajkumar was booked under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act. He initially went absconding for roughly two weeks before securing anticipatory bail from a local court in June, and was subsequently released by police on a personal bond of ₹20,000 — because the offences invoked carried a punishment of less than seven years' imprisonment. He had reportedly attended two or three police counselling sessions after his release, and his own family had described his mental condition as unstable.
Rajkumar and his wife, Parvathi Saritha, had a love marriage in 2018. Police investigating his background have also disclosed that he had a prior criminal history involving assault and threats connected to land disputes, and — significantly — a gambling and betting addiction that had left him in debt of approximately ₹1.5 crore.
Investigators recovered seven cement bricks stacked near the Nagarkunta lake crime scene, which have been collected as forensic evidence. Police are probing whether the stacking symbolically represented not only the six murders of that night but also the earlier, previously unexplained death of the minor complainant's father — officially attributed to a heart attack — which investigators now suspect Rajkumar may have had a hand in, possibly by exploiting the man's alcohol dependency.
Investigation and Manhunt
- Seven special police teams have been formed to trace and apprehend Rajkumar, who remains absconding as of this report.
- Police have released his photograph publicly and announced a cash reward of ₹2 lakh for credible information leading to his arrest, with informant identities kept strictly confidential.
- The murder weapon(s) — reportedly a sickle and a knife — were recovered from the crime scenes.
- Investigators are using CCTV footage and toll plaza records to trace his movements.
- All six bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.
- Two separate FIRs have been registered in connection with the murders, covering both crime scenes.
- A Shabad sub-inspector, Ramesh, has been placed under suspension for alleged negligence in handling the original POCSO complaint after the victim's family had reportedly warned police of threats from Rajkumar.
Public and Political Reaction
The killings triggered widespread outrage. Relatives of the victims and local residents staged a dharna (sit-in protest) outside Shabad police station, blocking the road and demanding that Rajkumar be shot in an encounter if found, while alleging police negligence in handling the original complaint despite repeated warnings of threats to the family.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao criticised the state government, calling the incident proof of administrative failure and questioning how a bail decision could have exposed the victims to fatal risk. Senior BRS leaders, including former minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and R.S. Praveen Kumar, were briefly taken into preventive custody while attempting to visit Shabad.
Telangana's Minister for Panchayat Raj and Women & Child Welfare, D. Anasuya Seethakka, directed officials to take stringent action and expedite the investigation. Rangareddy District Collector C. Narayana Reddy announced an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased minor girl, her mother, and grandmother.
Separately, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar highlighted the department's newly established "investigation monitoring cell," designed to speed up POCSO and crimes-against-women cases through dedicated court-liaison officers and closer case tracking — an initiative he said would help address systemic delays of the kind now under scrutiny after the Shabad case.
The Bail Question: Why This Matters for Forensic & Legal Aspirants
This case has reignited a familiar and important debate in Indian criminal justice: the tension between an accused's statutory right to bail and a victim's right to safety. Under the POCSO Act, sentencing severity determines whether an offence is bailable, and Sections 11–12 (relating to sexual harassment of a child, as opposed to penetrative or aggravated assault) carry a maximum punishment of under seven years — making anticipatory bail comparatively easier to secure, even where a credible threat pattern exists.
For UGC NET Forensic Science and NFSU FACT aspirants, this case is a live illustration of several syllabus-relevant themes: victim risk assessment and threat escalation in stalking/harassment cases, the interplay between bail jurisprudence (Sections 11–12 vs. aggravated sections of POCSO) and victim protection protocols, crime scene linkage across multiple locations, and the emerging role of behavioural/psychological profiling (gambling addiction, debt, prior violent history, family-reported instability) in predicting recidivism and escalation risk among bailed offenders.
What Happens Next
As of the latest updates, Rajkumar remains at large despite the reward announcement and expanded search operation spanning technical surveillance, toll records, and ground-level teams. Police have indicated fresh forensic leads — including the stacked bricks and a possible reopening of inquiry into the complainant's father's death — could broaden the scope of the case well beyond the six confirmed murders. This report will be updated as further developments, including any arrest, are confirmed by official sources.
Sources & Further Reading
- The News Minute — "Telangana horror: Man out on bail in POCSO case kills girl who complained and five others"
- Telangana Today — "POCSO accused allegedly kills six, including minor, in Shabad"
- The Tribune — "Man accused in POCSO case kills 6 people, including family and complainants in Telangana"
- The South First — "Six including POCSO complainant killed in brutal incident in Ranga Reddy district"
- Deccan Chronicle — "Six dead in Shabad as POCSO accused goes on killing spree"
- Deccan Chronicle — "Shabad Killings: ₹2 Lakh Reward for Info on Accused Rajkumar"
- The Hans India — "Police confirm Rajkumar responsible for six murders in Rangareddy"
- India.com — "Love marriage, gruesome killing of wife, children, minor girl"
- Oneindia News — "Telangana Mass Murder: How Did a POCSO Accused Out on Bail Kill 6 People?"
- Pragativadi — "Out on Bail in POCSO Case, Telangana Man Allegedly Kills Minor Complainant, Her Family and His Own Wife, Children"
- The Federal — "Telangana man kills wife, two sons and teen girl's family members; six murdered"
- The Star (Malaysia/ANN syndication) — "Out on bail in POCSO case, Telangana man kills minor complainant, her family, and his own wife and children"
