Thane murders: Police probe property dispute, psychological disorder theory

In a ghastly crime, a 32-year-old man allegedly murdered 14 members of his family, including seven children, and committed suicide early on Sunday in Thane. The brutal murder took place at around 1 am in Kasarvadavli area, where the accused apparently sedated the victims before slitting their throats with a large knife, they said. The man has been identified as Hasnil Warerkar. The 35-year-old allegedly killed 14 of his family members, including his parents, wife and children by slitting their throats after sedating them and then committed suicide by hanging himself. Other victims included his sisters, niece and nephews. One of the family members, who survived the gruesome incident, has been admitted to hospital. Though the motive behind the massacre is unclear, several theories are floating around including that of a family dispute over some property and Hasnil’s psychological state. [caption id=“attachment_2556566” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] “Until we record the statement of the lone survivor Subiya Barmar (one of Hasnains sisters) we cannot say anything about his motive,” said the joint commissioner of police Ashutosh Dumbre at a press conference in Thane today. “We are considering all the angles such as property dispute, psychological disorder, etc,” he said, adding that the investigators would also seek the help of psychiatrists. Relatives, neighbours and friends told the police that Hasnain had become deeply religious and conservative over the past five years, and started believing in black magic and bizarre remedies despite a rebuke from community leaders, reports the Mumbai Mirror. “Investigations point out that the deceased were either asleep or sedated when murdered. There are no signs of forced entry and the witness survivor, Subiya, has seen her brother killing,” said Ashutosh Dumbre, joint commissioner of police, Thane told the Hindustan Times. In July 2012, the accused, his wife and their elder daughter were admitted in Thanes Titan hospital for food poisoning after taking medicines given by some ‘hakim’, Dumbre said, adding the police would check the record related to this incident too. The investigators were waiting for the autopsy reports of the victims to find out if they had been sedated before the murder, said Dumbre. The reports were expected in a couple of days. Police learnt from the neighbours that Hasnain used to kill goats for the ritual `kurbani (sacrifice), and therefore knew how to use butchers knife, the weapon used in the macabre crime. With inputs from PTI