The recluse next door: How Shabad woke to unimaginable horror

“He barely spoke to anyone. He would just walk past without greeting people.” That was how residents of Daivalaguda and Kummariguda in Shabad mandal described B. Raj Kumar, the 35-year-old accused of killing six people in a span of few hours, as the twin villages struggled on Saturday.

About 60 kilometres from Hyderabad, the two villages are home largely to farming families. Life slows soon after sunset, with most residents retiring by 9 p.m. before setting out to the fields at daybreak.

Locals described Raj Kumar as someone who mostly kept to himself and said there had been little to suggest trouble within the family.

“The children were always playing outside. They looked like a happy family,” said a relative of his wife, Sarita.

According to the relative, Raj Kumar borrowed ₹500, took his two sons for haircuts and bought them biriyani for lunch. “He suddenly seemed cheerful. We thought things had become better for the family. Nobody imagined what would happen that night,” the relative said.

Residents said Raj Kumar had lived with his parents on Kummariguda Road for several years after his marriage before moving about six months ago to Daivalaguda, roughly six kilometres away, and just two houses from his mother-in-law’s residence.

Neighbours at the first crime scene recalled hearing only the cries of Meghana, the complainant’s differently abled elder sister, at around 11 p.m.

“She often cried out for food or help because of her condition. We heard her voice but thought nothing of it,” Madhavi, a neighbour, said. Meghana, who was present in the house during the attack, was spared and is now being cared for by relatives.

At Daivalaguda, neighbours said they heard no cries from Raj Kumar’s house. “The cooler and air-conditioner were running through the night. Even if someone had screamed, we may not have heard them,” a neighbourhood kid, Ishwar Kumar said.

By around 3 a.m., police vehicles crowded the narrow lanes as forensic experts examined the two houses. Black-and-yellow police tape sealed the entrances while investigators photographed evidence and the bodies were moved to Osmania General Hospital for autopsy.

When villagers woke a few hours later, the news had already spread. Farmers abandoned plans to head to their fields, while others arrived from neighbouring hamlets on motorcycles and tractors. By mid-morning, a crowd stood behind the police cordons, staring at the houses that had become crime scenes.

“We have lived here for decades. We never imagined something so gruesome could happen in our village,” said one resident.

Relatives of the complainant alleged that they had repeatedly warned the police after Raj Kumar was released on bail in the POCSO case, fearing he might retaliate. They claimed their pleas for protection went unanswered. Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi has said those allegations will be examined.