Telangana shocker: Man accused in POCSO case kills six, including own children, victim | Details

A 35-year-old man accused in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act allegedly killed six people in Telangana, including his two children and three members of the family that had lodged the complaint against him.

The man has been identified as P Rajkumar, and a complaint against him was filed in Telangana's Rangareddy district, police said on Saturday.

Here's what we know

The accused initially targeted the minor girl, her mother, and maternal grandmother, following which he killed his wife and two children on Friday night in Shabad mandal in different areas, news agency PTI reported.

He allegedly used a sickle and a knife to attack the victims and slit their throats, according to a senior police official.

According to police, the violence unfolded on Friday night when the accused, a resident of Raiwalaguda, allegedly drove to Shabad town and reached the minor girl's house at around 10:45 pm. Investigators said he stabbed the teenager's 42-year-old mother after she answered the door and then killed her 60-year-old grandmother as she slept. He allegedly abducted the minor girl in his car before stabbing her to death and abandoning her body near a local lake bund.

The killings continued minutes later when the accused allegedly returned to his residence at around 11:21 pm. Police said he then slit the throats of his 31-year-old wife, his four-year-old son, and his 18-month-old son while they were asleep, leaving six people dead within the span of about an hour.

Immediately after committing the murders, the accused called his father and confessed to the crimes, who then reported the matter to the police.

After committing the heinous crime, Rajkumar fled the scene and remains absconding. According to officials, the exact reason for the killings is currently under investigation, adding that once the accused is apprehended, the exact motive will be known.

However, police said the investigators suspect a deep-seated grudge against the minor girl, but the motive behind killing his wife and two children is yet to be ascertained.

Earlier in May this year, the 35-year-old man was booked under the POCSO Act for stalking the minor girl, according to the complaint filed by the victim's family. He was recently granted anticipatory bail in the case.

Two cases have been registered in connection with the murders.

Minor girl's uncle blames cops

After the accused stabbed the victim and two other members of her family, her maternal uncle accused the local police of gross negligence, claiming that multiple complaints warning of death threats to the family were completely ignored.

Speaking to ANI, the victim's uncle said, "We had booked a case under the POCSO Act because he was harassing the minor girl. Even after the case was filed, he openly threatened to kill all our family members within two days. We informed the police and filed a complaint saying he had threatened to kill everyone, but they neither took him into remand nor conducted a proper inquiry."

He also added that the family had repeatedly flagged to the police the escalating danger to their lives after registering a complaint against the accused. He also alleged serious lapses in the probe against the accused, adding that the 35-year-old was able to secure an anticipatory bail shortly after the first complaint was registered in May and that he continued to roam the area freely.

The victim's uncle also held the law enforcement authorities directly accountable for failing to stop the suspect and demanded the immediate suspension of the officers involved.

The family members of the victims and residents staged a protest outside the Shabad police station, shouting slogans and demanding strict action against authorities for failing to prevent the tragedy despite repeated warnings.

(with agency inputs)