Man Kills 14 Family Members Including 7 Kids, Hangs Himself Later, Reporter Covering The Incident Dies Of Cardiac Arrest

In a horrific incident, a 35-year-old Indian man identified as Hasnain Anwar Warekar killed 14 members of his own family in the wee hours of Sunday morning before killing himself. According to a report by the Tribune, the dead included his parents, wife, and two children — the youngest just 3-months-old. According to investigators, Hasnain is believed to have sedated all the family members before he went on the killing spree. The motive behind the gruesome killings remain a mystery. To add to the tragedy, a reporter from a local news channel who was covering the news died of cardiac arrest in the hospital where the bodies of the victims were kept.

Reports say that Hasnain killed all his family members by slitting their throats. The dead included seven children, six women, and Hasnain’s own father. After making sure most of his family members were dead, he ended his life by hanging from the ceiling in his two story house located in the city of Thane, a few miles north of Mumbai. Police say he was still holding on to a knife when his body was recovered early in the morning. There was one survivor inside the house, a woman believed to be Hasnain’s sister. She was admitted to the Thane Civil Hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment. The reporter who also died while covering the incident has been identified as Ratan Bhowmik.

Man who committed suicide after killing 14 members of his family in Kasarvadavali area of Thane (Maharashtra). pic.twitter.com/rETFNBKsmV

— ANI (@ANI_news) February 28, 2016

According to Ashutosh Dhumbre, the Joint Commissioner of Police, Thane, before the day of the killings, Hasnain had called his three sisters and their children for a family get together. He used to invite them for such get togethers earlier, as well. This time, however, he had sinister intentions. Officials believe Hasnain laced the drinks served to his family members with a sedative and, when they fell asleep, killed almost all of them.

Several witnesses say Hasnain was seen offering prayers at a local mosque at around 3 a.m. on Sunday, after which he went home. Officials believe all the killings happened after he went home.

The news of the horrific murders came to light at around 5:30 a.m., when the lone survivor of the incident, one of Hasnain’s sisters screamed for help from inside the home. She had somehow managed to survive the attack and managed to reach one of the windows of the two-story home. Neighbors quickly gathered near the home and the woman was taken to a hospital. They were, however, shocked to see the entire family of 14 members lying dead inside the home in a pool of blood.

Officer Dhumbre recounts the incident.

“Hasnain slit the upper part of this sister’s throat, she survived the attack and screamed for help. The survivor’s in-laws, who were in the neighbouring house, heard her cries and tried opening the door, but it was locked from inside. The in-laws broke open the grill of a window on the ground floor and entered the house. It was then that the police were alerted of the incident. Prima facie evidence suggests that the accused bolted all the doors of the house and murdered his family while they were asleep with a knife. The accused hung himself after killing his family. There were three rooms in the house, while he was in a room with his wife and two daughters on the first floor, his parents and sisters were in separate rooms on the ground floor.”

Investigators have taken hold of Hasnain’s mobile phone and laptop to look for any clues. Initial investigation seems to point towards a property dispute in the family. This is, however, not established yet.

According to neighbors, Hasnain, a commerce graduate who used to prepare income tax-related documents with a CA firm in New Bombay, was known to be a gentle, kind-hearted man who loved his family. His friends are still in a state of shock and refuse to believe Hasnain could do something like this. The family had been living in the house for over a decade.

The 14 dead individuals are the following.

Zabin Hasnen Warekar (28, wife of Hasnen), Mushadshera Hasnen Warekar (6), Umera Hasnen Warekar (3 months) (both his daughters), Anwar Warekar (55 – father), Azgadi Anwar Warekar (50 – mother), Rabina Shaukat Khan (35), Batul Anwar Warekar (30), Maria Irfan Fakki (28) (all three sisters).

The children of the three sisters who were also killed are the following.

Anas Shaukat Khan (12), Sabiya Shaukat Khan (16), Ali Hasan Shaukat Khan (05), Umer Irfan Fakki (7), Yusuf Irfan Fakki (4) and Asriya Sojef Burmal (5 months).

[Image By Tex Texin from Blogosphere, Cyberspace – “Crime Scene Do Not Cross” tape, CC BY 2.0, (Wikimedia Commons)]