Madanapalle minor girl’s rape, murder case: Prime accused found dead under suspicious conditions

The prime accused in the rape and brutal murder of a seven-year-old girl in Madanapalle was found dead, and his body was floating in a waterbody at Kanasanivaripalle village under the Mudivedu police station limits of Kurabalakota mandal of Annamayya district on Wednesday morning (February 18, 2026).

The body of Kulavardhan (27), who had been absconding since the crime came to light on Tuesday morning (February 17, 2026), was recovered from the village tank and shifted to the Government District Hospital at Madanapalle for post-mortem.

Senior police officials from Madanapalle, Kadapa, and Kurnool, camping in Madanapalle, suspect that the accused ended his life. “The exact cause of death will come out after autopsy,” a senior police officer said.

Kulavardhan, a worker with the powerloom sector in Neerugattuvaripalle locality of Madanapalle, was believed to have gone into hiding after allegedly raping and murdering the minor girl on Monday night (February 16, 2026).

According to the police, the accused sexually assaulted the girl and killed the girl.. Following the incident, six police teams carried out an intensive manhunt.

More than 200 policemen were deployed as part of bandobast in and around Madanapalle, anticipating potential law and order issues. More than one thousand people, mostly locals, students, and women, staged a series of protests at the arterial junctions, demanding an “encounter” of the accused.

The victim’s parents, too, remained reluctant to hand over their daughter’s body to the police for post-mortem till late evening on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

Close to midnight, DIG (Kurnool) Koya Praveen confirmed the post-mortem report of the girl, saying “it’s a sexual assault and murder,” he said, adding the accused would “be punished.”

Eight hours after the DIG’s statement, the body of Kulavardhan was found at the outskirts of Madanapalle. Senior officials are expected to hold a press conference over the emerging developments.

Meanwhile, the body of the minor girl was shifted to her native village, Ragimanidinne village of Veeraballi mandal in the neighbouring Kadapa district. The police confirmed that the last rites of the victim were completed by Wednesday morning (February 18, 2026).