Telangana POCSO Accused Wanted For Killing Six Found Dead After 60-Hour Manhunt

The massive 60-hour-long manhunt across Telangana ended abruptly, with the prime suspect in a gruesome mass murder found dead near a railway track in the Jangaon district.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Sriram, was wanted for the gruesome murder of six members of two families, a violent act that shocked the local community.

The Mass Murder and What It Was For

The violence broke out in a village in the Mahabubabad district of Telangana. Sriram, who was already facing legal action in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case, allegedly targeted the families in a premeditated attack.

He had entered the homes of the victims with a sharp weapon and murdered six persons, including children and women, and critically injured two others. Investigators say revenge was the primary motive as the victims’ families had supported the legal process against him in the assault case.

Police swung into an immediate and intensive action following the killings, with the suspect fleeing into the dense forest patches and rural back roads linking Mahabubabad and the neighbouring districts.

An Enormous 60-Hour Search

The state police employed different special units, dogs and drones for the search of the suspected locations, farms and transit locations to locate the suspect. Local checkpoints were heavily fortified to prevent him from fleeing into neighbouring states.

In the high-stakes search, railway staff discovered a body lying on the tracks near Nashkal village. Senior police officials rushed to the scene and identified the body by physical marks and matching clothes. Preliminary forensic tests indicate he died by suicide on the tracks, but an official examination is pending to conclude the official inquiry.

The manhunt ended with the death of the suspect, but the villages are still under heavy police presence to keep the peace and help the traumatised surviving family members.