Indian-Origin Couple, Teenage Daughter Killed In ‘Suspicious’ House Fire In Canada; Police Says ‘Not Accidental’

In a tragic incident, an Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were killed after a fire broke out at their home in Canada’s Ontario province.

According to the police, the incident took place on March 7 as the bodies were completely burnt and were reportedly identified on Friday.

The victims have been identified as 51-year-old Rajiv Warikoo, his 47-year-old Shilpa Kotha, and their 16-year-old daughter Mahek Warikoo. They were found dead in their home on Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive.

However, the investigators said that they could not ascertain the number of people killed soon after they reached the spot after they were alerted by one of the neighbours of the family, as reported by the news agency PTI.

According to local media reports, the police were not yet able to ascertain the reason behind the fire and deemed it ‘suspicious’. “At this time, we are investigating this with our homicide bureau, and we are deeming this as suspicious as the Ontario Fire Marshal has deemed that this fire was not accidental,” Constable Taryn Young told news channel CTV.

While analysing the location, investigators reportedly found human remains within the damaged house, police said in a statement. “Detectives from the Peel Regional Police Homicide Bureau have been working closely with the Office of the Chief Coroner and have identified the remains as belonging to Rajiv Warikoo, age 51, Shilpa Kotha, age 47, and Mahek Warikoo, age 16. All three of the deceased persons resided at the address prior to the fire,” the Peel Police statement added.