THANE: A 32-year old man killed 14 members of his family, including seven children, and later hanged himself in a house here on Sunday, police said.
The gory incident took place in the city's Kasarvadavli area when assailant Hasnain Anwar Warekar slit the victims' throats with a large knife one after the other around 1.00 a.m. after lacing their food with drugs.
Though the motive behind the massacre is unclear, preliminary inquiries point towards a family dispute over some property matters.
Those killed were identified as: Anwar Warekar (father, 65), Asgari (mother, 56), Jabin (wife, 28), Mubatshira, 6, and Umera, three months old, both daughters, Shabina Shaukat Khan, 35, Maria Irfan Fakki, 28, and Batul, 30 (sisters), Anas Shaukat Khan, 12, Sadiya Shaukat Khan, 16, and Arsiya Yusuf Bharmal, five-month old (nieces), Alihasan Shaukat Khan, 5, Umer Irgan Fakki, 7, and Yusuf Irfan Khan (nephews).
The lone woman survivor, identified as his sister, Sabia Yusuf Bharmal (22), was rushed to a local hospital where her condition is described as "critical".
"Prima facie, evidence suggests that the accused bolted all the doors and windows of the house and killed his family while they slept. Later, he hung himself near a staircase in the bungalow and the knife he used was found near his body," Thane Joint Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare said.
Sabia's screams prompted some youths in the locality to break open the doors and windows of the house and rescue her, he said.
The knife used for the murder has been seized and a forensic team has been summoned to the crime scene while the bodies have been sent for an autopsy, Dumbare added.
Warekar worked as an income tax consultant. Neighbours described him as a quiet, non-controversial and helpful person and there were no complaints of any kind against the family which enjoyed a good reputation in the locality.
Locals claimed that a couple of years ago, Warekar had allegedly attempted to poison his family and six members were rushed to a hospital. They fortunately survived.
Traumatised survivor clueless
A woman who survived the massacre by her brother, where he murdered 14 of his family members here on Sunday, told the police that she has no idea as to what spurred her brother to go on the horrific killing spree.
Special branch constable Meera Madhurkar, who took a statement from the survivor, told ANI that the victim was clueless about her brother’s intention behind the murders as he seemed to have no qualms with the family.
“In her statement she said that her brother had called the entire family for a special dinner. There had been no conflict that night. He was exhibiting normal behaviour towards his parents and his wife. She said that she had no idea why her brother massacred them all. I could not ask her much as she is still traumatised and has 25 stitches on her neck, where she suffered the most injuries,” Madhurkar said.
The bizarre factor here is that the murderer, according to his neighbours, was a cheerful and smart person who showed absolutely no signs of any psychological disorder.
"It is a sad incident as the man was a very nice person. He was well qualified and worked in a good company. He was calm and composed. It is going to be really hard to figure out the real reason as to why this happened because none of the neighbours, or anyone for that matter was aware of any family dispute," a neighbour told ANI.
(With inputs from ANI)