In two shocking revelations that have surfaced during the ongoing investigations in the Thane multiple murder case, the accused Hasnain Anwar Varekar — who slit throats of his 14 family members at his residence on February 28 — had allegedly abused his unmarried mentally-ill sister sexually for some time and that he was under considerable mental strain over the debts amounting to `67 lakh that he had piled up.
Though the investigators have more or less cracked the Thane multiple murders case, Thane’s Joint Commissioner of Police Asutosh Dhumbre on Saturday stopped short of confirming that the police had nearly established as to what could be motive behind the February 28 incident, in which Hasnain butchered 14 family members with a cleaver, before taking his own life.
Informed police sources said that the investigators were veering around to the surmise that 35-year-old Hasnain —unable to cope up with the huge debts he was reeling under and the fact that his entire family had come to know of his having sexually abused his mentally challenged sister — had taken the taken the extreme step of slitting the throats of his 14 members of his family —his wife, two children, his parents, three of his married sisters and their six children — before committing suicide.
In her statement to the police, Subiya Joseph Bharmal (21) — who survived the incident by locking herself up in a room and is undergoing treatment at a local private hospital for the knife wounds on her neck — said that her elder brother used to sexually abuse her younger sister for some period of time. She told the police that she came to know of Hasnain’s misdeed early last month and that she complained to her mother about it on February 6.
Subiya said that Hasnain, who was ashamed to the hilt with the realisation that his entire family was in the know of his misdeed, decided to eliminate all his family members.
In the second possible motive that must have prompted him to kill mercilessly 14 of his family members, Hasain had borrowed heavily - to the tune of Rs 67 lakh - mostly from his family members and at least two banks.
Though he had spoken about investigating the money he had borrowed in a loss-making export business, the police are trying to ascertain if he had lost the money by investing stock market. The money that he invested in either business or stock market included Rs 30 lakh that his father had received after selling a piece of land.
The investigations have revealed that he had a room on rent at Majiwada, a locality which is just 4 km away from his family residence at Kasarvadvli at Thane and that he was taking certain medicines for some psychological illness. So much so that he had sedated his family members with Clozapine, used for treating schizophrenia. The investigators are trying to locate the pharmacist from whom he had purchased medicines.
In a heart-rending revelation, Subiya quoted her mother Asgadi Anwar Varekar (50) pleading her killer brother to spare her, when the latter began to slit the throats of his family members in turns. “Maine tumkho janam diya hai, mujhe chod do,” Subiya quoted her mother as unsuccessfully pleading her killer-brother.
The investigators, who have recorded the statements of Hasnain’s relatives and friends besides the caretaker of the Pardesi Baba Darghah that he would visit often, are also looking into the black magic angle to ascertain if he was either practising the prohibited black magic or under the influence of any self-styled god man.
Subiya, who is undergoing treatment for the knife wounds that she suffered on her neck her brother attacked her, is not still aware that her that her five-month-0ld daughter was one of the persons killed in the incident.
Varekar, a post-graduate in commerce who used to work in the past for a charted accountant, had been jobless for the last few months. He allegedly used a cleaver to slit the throats of 14 members of his family after mixing with sedatives with the delicious food that he had partaken at a “dawat” that he hosted for his married sisters, their children and other family members. Among the children were two infants aged three and five months respectively.
The investigations have revealed that he possessed a cleaver at home and would use it to butcher sacrificial goats and other animals at home and at the homes of his relatives and friends in the locality who would call on special occasions to carrying out the ritual.
Subiya has told the police that he was reluctant to come to her parents’ residence for the “dawat” hosted by her brother on the evening of February 27. However, Hasnain personally went to Subiya’s in-laws’ residence and fetched her and her five-month-old for the “dawat” - comprising kebabs, samosas and other dishes --- he was hosting for his married sisters, including herself.
She partook little bit of food spread out at the “dawar” and juice that Hasnain had specially prepared for the occasion. Hasnain is believed to have mixed sedatives into the juice that he had prepared.
According to her statement to the police, Subiya fell asleep after drinking juice. She woke up when she heard shrieks from other family members whom Hasnain was allegedly trying to kill. After surviving an attempt on her made by Hasnain, She ran inside a room and locked herself in a room.
By the time she was rescued by her neighbours well past 3 am on February 28, Hasnain had killed 14 family members and committed suicide.