Police said they lived at the address before the fire. (representative)
Ottawa:
An Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were killed in a “suspicious” fire that gutted their home in Ontario, Canada, last week, police said on Friday.
A news release from Peel Police said a fire broke out at a home in the area of Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive in Brampton on March 7.
After the fire was extinguished, investigators found what were believed to be human remains inside the burned home, but the death toll could not be determined at the time.
On Friday, the charred remains were identified as those of three family members: Rajiv Warikoo, 51; his wife, Shilpa Kotha, 47; and their 16-year-old daughter Mahek Warikoo.
Police said they lived at the address before the fire.
Peel Regional Police Taryn Young said Friday that the fire is being treated as suspicious, CTV News Channel reported.
“We are currently investigating this matter with the Homicide Bureau and we believe it is suspicious, just as the Ontario Fire Marshal does not believe this fire was accidental,” Young was quoted as saying.
“There’s not much left,” Young said when asked about possible causes of the fire.
“As a fire chief, I’m sure it’s very difficult when there’s not much to see. But we’re exhausting all avenues,” she said.
Kenneth Yousaf, a neighbor of the deceased family, said the family had lived on the street for about 15 years and he had never noticed any problems with them.
Youssef said a family member called him to the fire alarm last week and heard a loud bang. “When we came out, the house was on fire. It was so sad. Within a few hours, everything was razed to the ground,” Youssef was quoted as saying.
Police said in a news release that they were continuing to investigate the deaths of three family members and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“The circumstances of the house fire remain the focus of an active investigation and anyone with information or video footage (dashcam or otherwise) is asked to contact homicide detectives,” police said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
