Police said the killings are believed to be linked to the POCSO case registered against him.
HYDERABAD: A man released on bail in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act case allegedly murdered six people, including the 17‑year‑old girl who had accused him, her mother and grandmother, before returning home and killing his wife and two children. The incident, which unfolded late on Friday night in Devtalguda village of Shabad mandal in Rangareddy district, is being described by police as the first reported mass murder of this nature in Telangana.
Upon receiving information, Future City commissioner of police Tarun Joshi and deputy commissioner of police Yogesh Gautam visited the crime scenes and reviewed the situation.
Police identified the accused as Parvathi Rajkumar, a car driver from Devtalguda. He had married Sarita, 30, seven years ago and the couple had two children, Parikshit, 5, and Devikshit, 2.
Investigators said Rajkumar had been stalking and harassing a 17‑year‑old college student from the same village for six months after she rejected his advances. On May 16, the girl and her mother lodged a complaint at Shabad police station. A case was registered under the Pocso Act, and Rajkumar was arrested and remanded in custody. He was released on bail a few days ago.
Police said Rajkumar carried out the killings as part of a premeditated plan. He allegedly murdered all six victims within about an hour. He first attacked the girl’s grandmother Chityala Rukamma, 65, and mother Chityala Lakshmi, 45, at their house, then abducted the minor girl and killed her near Nagarkunta pond. Later, he returned home and murdered his wife Sarita and their two children.
After the murders, Rajkumar reportedly called his father, confessed to the killings, switched off his phone and fled. Police said there is speculation he may have died by suicide, but his body has not been found.
Shabad police, forensic experts, the Clues Team and sniffer dogs examined all three crime scenes. Commissioner Tarun Joshi said Rajkumar had been counselled twice before the murders and that eight special police teams have been formed to trace him.
Angered by the killings, relatives and local residents staged a protest and blocked the Shabad National Highway, causing traffic disruptions for several hours. They alleged police negligence, demanded ₹1 crore compensation for the minor girl’s disabled sister and sought an encounter of the accused.
Heavy police deployment has been made in Devtalguda and Shabad to prevent further tension. The bodies of the girl, her mother and grandmother were shifted to Chevella Government Hospital for postmortem, while those of Sarita and her two children were sent to Osmania General Hospital.
