Thane mass murders: A year on, the house where man slaughtered 14 from family remains deserted

Hasnain Warekar, 32, who worked as a clerk for a chartered accountant, had slaughtered 14 of his family -- parents, wife, two daughters, three of his four sisters, four of his nephews and two of his nieces -- slitting their throats while they slept at their home at Kasarwadavali on Ghodbunder Road. He then hanged himself. The incident occured a year back and now, the house lies deserted.

A year ago, Thane woke up to the screams of a 22-year-old woman, Subiya, “Bachao…bhaiyya ne sabko maar dala.”

The house where the killings took place. (HT)

The incident was unprecedented. Hasnain Warekar, 32, who worked as a clerk for a chartered accountant, had slaughtered 14 of his family -- parents, wife, two daughters, three of his four sisters, four of his nephews and two of his nieces -- slitting their throats while they slept at their home at Kasarwadavali on Ghodbunder Road. He then hanged himself.

A year on, the only survivor of the brutality, Subiya, who lives in Bhiwandi, stays away from the house, just like people from the neighbourhood. For Subiya and everyone around, the bungalow, which housed the Warekars for more than 20 years, is a sad reminder of the horrific massacre.

“We are scared to walk on the road in front of the bungalow. We only go if we are in a group,” said a neighbor.

The family, too, has abandoned the house. “We are planning to give half the bungalow to a madrasa as part of the cleansing process for those who were killed on February 28, 2016,” said Mujib Warekar, 47, a businessman and Hasnain’s cousin, adding the worth of the house is Rs50 lakh.

“We open the house once a week to clean it. We are also waiting for police to complete the paper work. We will then take Subiya’s consent,” he said.

Hasnain’s grandfather Gulzar, 72, said, “A family from Uttar Pradesh is willing to stay on rent in the house.”

Hasnain’s relatives and neighbours are yet to understand what drove him to inviting his sisters and their families for a get-together, treating them to vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies, spiking their drinks and slashing their throats with a cleaver. “Hasnain’s grandmother still can’t believe he committed the crime. She wants to know how the murder took place,” said Hasnain’s uncle Rizwan, 45.

The police said they have completed all formalities. “We have filed a charge sheet and the case is closed. If anyone in the family wants to go through the reports or any other documents, they should move court.”

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