The accused had secured anticipatory bail just a week before the killings, raising questions about whether the warning signs were missed
A gruesome case of multiple murders in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district has left investigators and the public asking the same question: could this have been prevented? The accused, 35-year-old Rajkumar, had been out on anticipatory bail for barely a week when he allegedly killed six people, including his own wife and young children.
What happened?
According to senior police officer Tarun Joshi, Rajkumar first attacked his 30-year-old wife, Parvathi Saritha, and their two sons, aged 4 and 1, at their home in Shabad on Friday night. He then travelled to the house of a 17-year-old girl who had filed a complaint against him under the POCSO Act in May, took her to a deserted location, and killed her. He also killed her 45-year-old mother and 65-year-old grandmother. The girl’s 20-year-old sister, who has a disability, was present in the house at the time but was not harmed.
Rajkumar reportedly called his father afterward and admitted to the killings before switching off his phone. He is currently on the run, and police have formed special teams to track him down.
The bail that came a week before the murders
In May, the 17-year-old girl filed a complaint accusing Rajkumar of stalking and sexually harassing her. Joshi said Rajkumar had been following her from her coaching institute to her house and pressuring her to accept his proposal.
After the complaint was filed, Rajkumar went on the run before eventually being arrested. He was later granted anticipatory bail on a personal bond of ₹20,000, about a week before the murders. Joshi explained that the bail was granted because the legal sections invoked in the case carried a punishment of less than seven years, a threshold that made him eligible.
Warning signs that were flagged
Police were reportedly already aware Rajkumar had behavioural concerns. Joshi said Rajkumar had been called in for counselling two or three times before the murders, and that his own family members had told police his mental condition was not stable. He is also reported to have had a gambling habit and prior debts.
No visible warning before the attack
Relatives who reached the house after the killings said there had been no major disputes beforehand, and that Parvathi had spoken normally with them the previous evening. They said the young children appeared to have been killed in their sleep, while the room where Parvathi’s body was found showed signs of a violent struggle. Forensic teams are now working to establish the full sequence of events and the exact motive.
Bail in this case was granted based on the severity of the charges, not Rajkumar’s documented behavioural history. Could a closer look at that history have changed the outcome?
About The Author
