Thane massacre: Police look for source of drug found in Hasnain’s bedroom

With no psychiatrist having come forward, the police are contacting various doctors’ associations for leads

The Thane police are in the process of finding the source of the drugs recovered from the home of Hasnain Warekar, 35, who killed 14 members of his family in the early hours of Sunday. While preparing the panchnama, the police found several drugs there, including a single tablet of Sizopin in a desk drawer in Hasnain’s first-floor bedroom. It is the source of this tablet that the police are most interested in, as it may offer clues about Hasnain’s mental state.

The only survivor Subiya, Hasnain’s sister, has told the police she saw him killing their sister. (Praful Gangurde)

With no psychiatrist having come forward, the police are contacting various doctors’ associations for leads. They are also contacting psychiatrist associations to find out which doctor, if any, had treated Hasnain. They have already checked with a local doctor, who has told them he did not prescribe any medicines to the family.

“We are checking with few pharmacists to ascertain the source of the Sizopin tablet. This drug cannot be obtained over the counter. A medical prescription is a must for all pharmacists and they have to be very careful about giving drugs for mental disorders,” said a high-ranking Thane police officer, who did not wish to be named.

Meanwhile, the police tried to get Subiya, Hasnain’s sister and the only survivor, to talk on Thursday but found she was still not in a condition to speak.

“Subiya is crying and is asking about her daughter. She does not know that her daughter was one of the victims,” said an officer. “She needs time to recuperate. She is not aware of what exactly happened. We will record her statement on video at a later stage.”

The police are now dependent on forensic reports to ascertain if Hasnain spikes his relatives’ drinks with sedative drugs before he slit their throats.