Shabad killing spree: Police SI suspended; seven special teams formed to nab perpetrator

Hours after the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (PoCSO) Act violator went on a killing spree in Shabad, Future City Police on Saturday, July 11, 2026, suspended Shabad police sub-inspector Ramesh, who was the investigating officer (IO) in the PoCSO case. Simultaneously, seven special teams fanned out across Telangana in search of B. Raj Kumar, who was allegedly on a bloody spree.

Police said that 35-year-old Raj Kumar started the attacks at around 23:00 on Friday, July 10, 2026, at a house on Kummariguda Road in Shabad, where he lived with the family of the 17-year-old minor girl who accused him in the PoCSO case.

Raj Kumar was their neighbor for many years until he and his family moved to another place with his wife and two sons about six months ago.

It was claimed that on Friday night, July 10, 2026, he killed the girl’s mother, Lakshmi, and her grandmother, Rukkama, with a knife and took the little girl away. He killed him in Daivalaguda village, about 6 km away. A differently-abled girl who was in the house at the time was left unharmed by the attacker.

Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi confirmed that preliminary investigations ruled out sexual assault before the murder. Raj Kumar then killed his wife Sarita and his two four-and-a-half-year-old sons in a similar manner, the officer added. Police said the murders took place around 23:30 on Friday, July 10, 2026.

“After the murders, Raj Kumar allegedly called his father around 11.50 pm and confessed to the murders and said that he planned to die by suicide. His father immediately rushed to Shabad police station and informed the police, launching a massive manhunt,” said a police officer.

Raj Kumar was arrested under Sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (PoCSO) Act in May after the underage girl’s family accused her of stalking and sexually harassing her. He went into hiding and was released on bail and was released by the local court on personal bail of ₹20,000 as the maximum sentence for the alleged crimes was less than seven years.

Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi said seven special teams were working to trace the accused and expressed confidence that the accused was still in Telangana.

People gathered outside Shabad police station on July 11, 2026, following the killings in Shabad Mandal of Rangareddy district. | Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna

On the afternoon of Saturday, July 11, 2026, anger over the murders spilled into the streets as approximately 100 people, including grieving relatives, neighbors and villagers, gathered in front of the Shabad police station. They demanded immediate arrest of Raj Kumar, action against the suspended investigating officer and compensation to the families of the victim. The protest continued until senior police officers assured him that every effort was being made to nab the accused.

Based on complaints filed by the relatives of the deceased, two separate cases of murder were registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).