Telangana Police Deploy 12 Teams to Hunt Accused in Shabad Murders

The Future City Police on Sunday intensified the hunt for B. Raj Kumar, the prime accused in the killing of six people in Shabad mandal of Rangareddy district, by expanding the search operation to 12 teams. These teams include personnel from the Special Operations Team (SOT), Central Crime Station (CCS), and other specialised units.

Police also dismissed rumours circulating on social media that the Station House Officer of the Shabad police station had been suspended or taken into custody in connection with the case, stating that both claims were false.

An officer involved in the probe said that the accused remained at large as of 9 p.m. on Sunday despite an extensive search. All teams have been deployed within Telangana, with officers combing multiple locations and pursuing leads to trace him.

Raj Kumar is accused of killing six people in two separate attacks late on Friday night. Police said he allegedly first targeted the family of a minor girl who had earlier filed a case against him under Sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, before travelling about six kilometres to his house in Daivalaguda village, where he allegedly killed his wife, Sarita, and their two young sons.

The killings triggered widespread outrage, with relatives accusing the police of failing to act despite repeated complaints that the accused had threatened the complainant’s family after being released on a personal bond of ₹20,000 in the POCSO case. The investigating officer in the earlier case has since been placed under suspension pending an inquiry.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Raj Kumar’s wife and two sons, along with those of the complainant, her mother and grandmother, were handed over to their families after a post-mortem examination on Saturday night.

A relative of Sarita said her body and those of the two children were released at around 11 p.m. The funeral procession began shortly afterwards, and the last rites were completed by around midnight.

Police maintained that the search for the accused would continue until he was traced and arrested.