A man accused in a POCSO case, P. Rajkumar, who was the subject of a large-scale manhunt for allegedly committing a mass murder of six people, including the minor victim, was discovered deceased on Monday in Telangana's Rangareddy district; police suspect he died by suicide, possibly after consuming herbicide found near his body, and noted he had a history of financial difficulties from online gambling and had previously attempted suicide, with his mobile phone containing a video where he expressed a desire to die and alleged the victim's family had wronged him, though this claim remains under investigation.

A man accused in a POCSO case, P. Rajkumar, who was the subject of a large-scale manhunt for allegedly committing a mass murder of six people, including the minor victim, was discovered deceased on Monday in Telangana's Rangareddy district; police suspect he died by suicide, possibly after consuming herbicide found near his body, and noted he had a history of financial difficulties from online gambling and had previously attempted suicide, with his mobile phone containing a video where he expressed a desire to die and alleged the victim's family had wronged him, though this claim remains under investigation.

A man accused in a POCSO case, P. Rajkumar, who was the subject of a large-scale manhunt for allegedly committing a mass murder of six people, including the minor victim, was discovered deceased on Monday in Telangana's Rangareddy district; police suspect he died by suicide, possibly after consuming herbicide found near his body, and noted he had a history of financial difficulties from online gambling and had previously attempted suicide, with his mobile phone containing a video where he expressed a desire to die and alleged the victim's family had wronged him, though this claim remains under investigation.

A man accused in a POCSO case, who had been on the run after allegedly killing six people, including the minor victim, was found dead in Telangana's Rangareddy district on Monday, police said.

Police had launched a massive manhunt for P. Rajkumar, a farmer, who had been absconding since allegedly carrying out the gruesome killings on July 10.

According to police, Rajkumar first went to the minor girl's house in Shabad, where he allegedly killed her mother and maternal grandmother. He then allegedly abducted the girl in a car, drove her to his native village of Dhaivalguda, and stabbed her to death near a lake.

He later allegedly killed his wife and his two sons, aged four years and one-and-a-half years.

Rajkumar had been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in May this year for allegedly stalking and harassing the minor girl. He had recently secured anticipatory bail in the case.

Police had formed 12 special teams to trace the accused and announced a reward of ₹2 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

On Monday afternoon, local residents spotted an unidentified body on the outskirts of Penjarla village in Kothur mandal of Rangareddy district. After being alerted, police reached the spot and identified the body as Rajkumar's.

"We were searching for him (Rajkumar)... We had information about the clothes he was wearing on the day of the incident and his physique. We checked, and the body was found to be of the same person," Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi told reporters.

Police recovered a bottle of herbicide from beside the body and suspect Rajkumar may have died by suicide after consuming the chemical.

"Maybe he has consumed it (herbicide). The body will be sent for post-mortem examination. From the scene, it appears he may have consumed the herbicide. That could be the possible cause of death," the commissioner said.

Police also recovered a mobile phone, bus tickets, and ₹1,260 in cash from his pockets. According to the commissioner, Rajkumar had recorded a video on his phone in which he said he had lost interest in life and wanted to die.

In the video, Rajkumar alleged that the girl's family had cheated him after taking money from him. However, police said there was no immediate evidence to substantiate the claim, and the circumstances behind the allegation remain under investigation.

Investigators also found that Rajkumar was allegedly addicted to online betting and gambling and had accumulated significant debt. Police said he had attempted suicide in October last year by consuming pesticide due to mounting financial liabilities, according to information gathered during the investigation.