In perhaps the most horrific multiple murders witnessed across the country in recent years, a 35-year-old man allegedly slit the throats of 14 members of his family and close relatives, and then hanged himself at his Kasarvadvali residence on Sunday.
Before committing suicide, Hasnain Anwar Varekar allegedly killed his wife, two children, his parents, three of his married sisters and their six children after giving them food and juice mixed with sedatives. Among the children were two infants aged three and five months respectively.
The incident took place around 1 am, when Hasnain’s family members were fast asleep after partaking biryani, other food items and juice served at a “dawat” he had hosted for his sisters, their children and his own family members at his home on Saturday night.
Though it was not immediately known what had prompted Hasnain to indulge in gruesome mass murders, police prima facie suspected that a property dispute might have contributed to the sensational crime.
The multiple murders came to light after Hasnain’s sister Sabia Joseph Bharmal, who had locked herself up in a room after surviving the incident, screamed for help around 3 am. Hasnain’s neighbours rescued Sabia, who had sustained a knife injury on her neck, and rushed her to the local Jupiter Hospital where she was reported to be “out of danger”.
One of the neighbours said the “dawat” at Hasnain’s residence was going on till very late in the night on Saturday. Neighbours told police that they heard screams of Sabia. “After hearing Sabia’s shrieks, the neighbours broke open the grill and rescued her. It was then they came to know of the incident. They immediately alerted police,” a senior police official said, quoting a neighbour.
Hasnain used to work for a charted accountant’s firm at Thane and belonged to a respected family. His father was one of the trustees in a charitable institution that managed a dargha. It is understood that Hasnain had a huge a property, which they sold off in the recent past.
In an effort to find clues to the murder, the Thane Police seized Hasnain’s cell phone and laptop and have been carrying out intense search of his residence, an independent two-storey house.
Also, the investigators have seized the knife used allegedly by Hasnain in the crime.
“At this stage, I cannot say anything about either the circumstances leading to the incident or the motive behind the crime. We have taken blood samples and viscera of the persons killed and also the sample of the good (consumed at the dawat hosted by Hasnain), and sent them for laboratory tests. It is only after the receipts of the test and post-mortem, we will be able give you some details, “Thane’s Joint Police Commissioner Asutosh Dhumbre said.
While the postmortem of seven of the slain members conducted at Thane district civil hospital, the remaining seven bodies were sent for post-mortem to the Thane Municipal Corporation-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital at Kalva. After the port-mortem, the bodies were taken to Kasarvadavli, Koparkhairne in Navi Mumbai and Ganeshpuri in Thane district.
Till the evening, police had not recorded the statement of Sabia, who may be able to throw some light on the motive behind the multiple murders. “We will record her statement once she recoups,” a senior police officer said.
Those murdered were identified as Jabin Hasnain Varekar (28), Varekar’s wife, Mubatshira (6), daughter, Umera (3 months) daughter, Anwar Varekar (55), father, Asgadi Anwar Varekar (50), mother, Shabina Shoukat Khan (35), sister, Anas Shoukhat Khan (12), niece, Shadia Shoukat Khan (16) niece, Alihasan Shoukat Khan (5), nephew, Batul Anwar Varekar (30) sister, Mariya Arfan Faki, (28), sister, Umer Arfan Faki (7), nephew, Yusuf Arfan Faki (4) nephew and Arsia Joseph Bharmal (5 months), niece.
Police said the husbands of Hasnain’s four sisters, including Sabia who survived the incident, had dropped their wives and children at his residence on Saturday evening for the “dawat” and were to return on Sunday morning to take them back to their respective homes. However, they were shocked to learn about the incident on Sunday morning.
“The Varekars are a good family. I used to meet Hasnain three to four times in a day. I could never imagine him that he would indulge in such a thing. I still cannot believe the whole thing. We are yet to come to terms after the incident,” said Niyaz Khan, a resident of Kasaradavali who had known Hasnain for several years.
“He would offer prayer five times in a day and was a God-fearing man. We feel sad for his family,” Khan said.
“We are shocked....I still cannot believe this. I pass by their two house several times in a day. I had known Hasnain and his family for several years. They are very good people,” Salim Patel, another neighbour, said.
The neighbours said Hasnain’s married sisters, who lived in the nearby Navi Mumbai and Ganeshpuri, would come to their brother’s house regularly.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that six family members of Hasnain family had suffered from food poisoning two years ago. They had fallen sick after consuming food mixed with some seeds. Unconfirmed reports said no police case had been registered at that time and that, Hasnain’s father, had then attributed the situation to the situation to the laxatives that he had given to his family members.
In tragic fallout of the incident, a cameraman of a television news channel Rattan Bhowmik, who was covering the event at the Civil Hospital, where bodies were sent for post-mortem, collapsed and died of a heart attack. Rattan’s friends said he had earlier suffered a heart attack and undergone angioplasty.
