Ranga Reddy horror: Man kills 6 family members, including wife, sons

The accused allegedly killed his wife, two sons and the teen who filed a POCSO complaint against him, along with her mother and grandmother, police said.

Hyderabad: A 28-year-old man allegedly hacked six members of his family to death, including his wife and two minor sons, in a gruesome incident at Daivalaguda village in Shabad mandal of Ranga Reddy district on early Saturday, July 11.

The suspect, Raj Kumar, is alleged to have killed his wife Parvathi Saritha, 30, their two sons Parikshit, 3, and Daivikshit, 2, Chityala Rukkamma, 65, Chityala Lakshmi, 45, and a 17-year-old girl. Police said all the victims sustained multiple stab injuries.

According to investigators, the murders are suspected to have been driven by a long-standing grudge after a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was previously registered against the suspect. Police are probing whether the earlier case was the immediate trigger for the killings.

After the incident, Raj Kumar allegedly contacted his parents over the phone and confessed to having murdered the six victims. The information was subsequently passed on to the police, who rushed to the village and secured the crime scene.

Teams from the Future City Commissionerate launched an investigation, while forensic experts collected evidence from the house. The bodies were shifted for post-mortem examination.

Case registered

Police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances leading to the multiple murders, including the sequence of events and the exact motive.

Senior officers visited the scene and are supervising the investigation.

Relatives of victims hold protest

Tension prevailed outside the Shabad Police Station in Ranga Reddy district on Saturday as relatives of the victims staged a protest, alleging police negligence.

The protesters accused the police of failing to act despite earlier complaints against the suspect. They alleged that although a case had been registered, the police did not take adequate measures to prevent the incident.

Holding the local police responsible for the gruesome murders, the agitating relatives raised slogans and demanded action against the Circle Inspector (CI) and Sub-Inspector (SI) of Shabad Police Station. They claimed that prompt and effective intervention by the police could have averted the killings.

The protesters demanded a thorough inquiry into the alleged lapses and sought disciplinary action against the police officials concerned. Additional police personnel were deployed at the station to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident.

CCTV footage emerges

The closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage has emerged of the incident, allegedly showing suspect Raj Kumar forcibly taking a 17-year-old girl into his car from Daivalaguda village at around 11 pm on Friday, July 10.

According to the police investigation, Raj Kumar allegedly first entered the victim’s house and murdered her mother and grandmother before abducting the teenager. He is suspected of driving her to a lake located about three kilometres away, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her and slit her throat, killing her. Police said the allegation of sexual assault is being investigated, with forensic and post-mortem reports awaited.

Police said the suspect then returned to his residence, where he allegedly murdered his wife and two young children.

Investigators believe the six murders took place within a span of nearly two hours, between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Before switching off his mobile phone, Raj Kumar allegedly called his father and informed him about the murders.