People gather outside the Shabad Police Station following the murder of six persons.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
Raj Kumar, who was accused of murdering six people in Shabad mandal of Rangareddy district on Friday night, was found dead in a remote stretch of Penjerla village near Kothur, about 20 km from his home in Daivalaguda, police said on Monday. He is suspected to have consumed a herbicide leading to his death.
The body was found nearly 63 hours after the killings, ending an intensive manhunt that had grown to 13 police teams across Telangana.
A villager alerted the police through Dial 100 at around 3 p.m. after spotting a body in an isolated area. Police later confirmed the body was that of the accused, based on identification and evidence recovered from the scene.
Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi said investigators recovered several articles from the body that are now being examined.
“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,” Mr. Joshi said.
The Commissioner said investigators recovered a video recorded by the accused 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,” said the CP. In the recording, which is yet to be authenticated, the accused claimed the minor girl’s family threatened to implicate him in criminal cases if he did not comply with their demands, allegations that have not been independently verified by the police.
Towards the end of the video, he declared that he had decided to kill the girl, her mother and grandmother before killing his own family and taking his own life. He repeatedly stated that his wife and children had no role in the dispute.
Police said the contents of the video would form part of the investigation but stressed that the allegations made by the accused would be verified independently.
Six people were killed late on Friday night at two locations about six kilometres apart by the accused. Police said he first fatally attacked a minor girl who had earlier lodged a case against him under Sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (PoCSO) Act, along with her mother and grandmother, before returning home and allegedly killing his wife, Sarita, and their two young sons, aged four years and one-and-a-half years.
The investigating officer in the earlier case was subsequently placed under suspension pending an inquiry.
Police said the post-mortem examination would ascertain the exact cause of death, while forensic examination of the recovered material, including the mobile phone and video, is continuing.
Published – July 13, 2026 03:55 pm IST
