Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Jul 11: A 35-year-old man allegedly murdered his wife, two young sons and three members of another family, including a 17-year-old girl who had accused him of sexual harassment under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, in a shocking series of attacks in Telangana's Ranga Reddy district.

The accused, identified as Rajkumar, allegedly first attacked his wife, Parvathi Saritha (30), and their two sons, aged four and one, at their residence in Shabad on Friday night.

Police said he then drove to the house of the 17-year-old girl, who had lodged a POCSO complaint against him on May 16. He allegedly took the girl in his car to a secluded location before murdering her.

Rajkumar is also accused of killing the girl's 45-year-old mother and her 65-year-old maternal grandmother at their residence. The girl's 20-year-old sister, who is a person with disabilities, was present in the house at the time but was not harmed.

According to senior police officer Tarun Joshi, the accused informed his father about the murders before switching off his mobile phone.

"He told his father, 'I have done this. I have murdered these people.' After that, he switched off his phone. He also said he was going to die by suicide, but that has not been confirmed yet," Joshi said.

Police said Rajkumar remains absconding and multiple teams have been formed to trace him.

"The accused is currently on the run. Special police teams have been formed, and we have developed leads. He will be apprehended soon," the officer added.

Rajkumar and Parvathi had a love marriage in 2018. The couple initially lived outside the village before later settling in houses they owned in Shabad and Devalaguda.

They had three children, but their first child, a daughter, died during infancy.

Police said Rajkumar was arrested in May after the minor girl accused him of stalking and sexually harassing her.

"The accused was following the girl from her coaching institute to her house and was pressuring her to accept his proposal," Joshi said.

He was initially absconding after the case was registered but later obtained anticipatory bail from a court, as the offences invoked carried a punishment of less than seven years. He was granted anticipatory bail on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 about a week before the killings.

Police said the accused had a history of behavioural problems.

"We called him two or three times for counselling. His family members have stated that his mental condition was not stable. He also had a gambling habit and had accumulated loans earlier," Joshi said.

Relatives who reached Rajkumar's house after the incident said the two children appeared to have been killed while asleep, while signs of a violent struggle were visible in the room where Parvathi's body was found.

They also claimed that the doors had been locked from inside and that the fan, air-conditioner and cooler had been left running.

According to family members, there had been no major disputes before the incident, and Parvathi had spoken normally with relatives on the previous evening.

Forensic experts have examined the crime scenes, while investigators are reconstructing the sequence of events and probing the motive behind the multiple murders.