Thane family massacre: Financial motive under police lens

Police are suspecting a financial motive in the Thane mass murder-suicide after having stumbled upon clues that suggest the prime suspect Hasnain Varekar borrowed gold from Subiya Barmal, the lone survivor from the murders of 14 of her family members.

Police are suspecting a financial motive in the Thane mass murder-suicide after having stumbled upon clues that suggest the prime suspect Hasnain Varekar borrowed gold from Subiya Barmal, the lone survivor from the murders of 14 of her family members.

Police investigate where Hasan Anwar Warekar murdered seven children, six sisters and another man from his family at Kasarvadavali village, Ghodbunder Road, in Thane. (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo)

Investigators said Hasnain was probably unemployed and was trying his luck at a new business venture of importing betel nut from Malaysia or Indonesia that required an investment of Rs 35 lakh. “Investigations have revealed that he had borrowed gold of 10 to 12 tolas from Subiya and was to start a venture with her in partnership. We are probing the theory of any financial constraint along with several other theories,” said Param Bir Singh, commissioner of police, Thane.

Police have also learned that he had acquired loan from a gold loan firm and are investigating further. Shaukat Khan, Hasnain’s brother in-law, who lost his wife and three children, also stated that he had borrowed huge sums of money from several people for a business and may have suffered losses.