A fire at the Pappanamcode office of New India Assurance Co Ltd in Kerala claimed the lives of two people on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire occurred around 1:30pm at the office, located approximately five kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital.
Authorities have identified one of the deceased as 34-year-old Vaishna, who worked at the insurance office.
According to The Hindu’s report, Vaishna lived in a rented home with her mother and two children. She had been estranged from her husband, Binukumar, for nearly four years.
Police have been unable to locate Binukumar since the fire, and there is speculation that he may be the second, unidentified victim.
Although the fire was initially thought to have been caused by an air-conditioner explosion, police later began investigating the possibility of foul play, according to The Hindu.
Witnesses reported seeing a man cause a disturbance at the office earlier in the day, and surveillance footage showed Binukumar in the vicinity. Investigators have yet to confirm his involvement, and forensic teams ruled out an electrical short circuit or air-conditioner malfunction as the source of the blaze.
The fire destroyed office furniture, documents, and other equipment. It was extinguished within 30 minutes by fire crews from Chenkalchoola. No other businesses in the two-story building were impacted.
Revenue Minister K Rajan stated that a preliminary investigation will be led by Thiruvananthapuram Subcollector Aswathy Srinivas. Ministers V Sivankutty and GR Anil have also pledged a full investigation into the incident.
