THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a suspected case of murder, a massive fire at the New India Assurance Company office at Pappanamcode in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a female employee of the insurance firm.
The deceased are Vaishna, 34, an employee residing in a rented house on Dikkubalikalam Road in Pappanamcode and a man whose identity remains unknown. He is suspected to be Vaishna’s husband.
Police have found CCTV footage of a man entering the office. However, they are yet to confirm if the person is Vaishna’s husband, citing the footage’s poor quality. Police said that the man allegedly used petrol to burn Vaishna to death. DNA testing is necessary to confirm the identity of the suspect, said the cops.
The fire broke out on the first floor of the building at Pappanamcode junction around 1.30pm. All furniture, files and computers were destroyed. The building’s front area was entirely made of glass, which shattered with a loud noise. Hearing the sound, locals rushed to the scene but were unable to enter. Fire and Rescue Services personnel arrived around 2 pm. As they entered the premises, they found two bodies charred beyond recognition. No others were injured and the fire didn’t spread to nearby shops. While the initial assumption was that the fire was caused by an AC explosion, forensic probe have ruled out this possibility. Electricity board officials also confirmed that there was no short circuit.
Initially, the police suspected that the man who died with Vaishna had come to the office to pay insurance. After confirming that the person who died with Vaishna was a man, suspicions about the incident grew. The police received information that Vaishna had family issues and that her husband, Binu from Naruvamoodu, had previously created problems at the office. When the police tried to contact Binu on the phone, they found it switched off.
Vaishna is survived by mother Sudhakala, two children, Devadevan, a Class VI student and Varsha, a Class V student.