Raj Kumar, prime suspect in Shabad murder spree, found dead in Kothur

Raj Kumar, the prime accused in the murder of six persons in Shabad, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Penjarla village. A pesticide bottle was recovered near the body, with police awaiting the postmortem report to confirm the exact cause of death

Hyderabad: Raj Kumar, the prime suspect in the sensational murder of six persons, including his wife, two young sons and a minor girl who had earlier filed a POCSO case against him, was found dead under suspicious circumstances at Penjarla village in Kothur mandal of Rangareddy district on Monday.

According to the police, local residents spotted the body in an open area of a venture and alerted them. A pesticide bottle was found near the body, leading police to suspect that he may have died by consuming the poisonous substance. However, the exact cause of death will be known only after the postmortem examination.

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Police rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and deployed additional personnel to prevent any law and order issues. Senior police officials later inspected the scene before shifting the body to a government hospital for autopsy.

Emotions ran high at the spot as relatives and local residents gathered after the body was identified. Raj Kumar’s elder brother reportedly expressed anger over the deaths of the six victims, questioning how he could die without facing the consequences of his crimes.

The gruesome murders took place on Friday night in Daivalaguda village under Shabad police station limits. Police said Raj Kumar allegedly stabbed to death the minor girl’s mother, Lakshmi, and grandmother, Rukkamma, before abducting the girl and killing her at another location. He later allegedly murdered his wife, Sarita, and their two sons, aged four years and one-and-a-half years.

Following the murders, the Telangana Police launched a massive manhunt by forming ten special teams and announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to his arrest. His abandoned car was recovered near Kothur on Saturday.

Shabad Sub-Inspector Ramesh was placed under suspension following criticism over the handling of an earlier POCSO case registered against Raj Kumar. The police action came amid allegations that lapses in the earlier investigation enabled the suspect to remain at large before the killings.