20 witnesses identified in fire tragedy, extensive probe begins

Indore: Tilak Nagar police have commenced an extensive probe into the fire, which claimed eight lives, at the residence of polymer businessman Manoj Pugalia. Authorities are piecing together the final moments of the victims through survivor testimonies and forensic data. Tilak Nagar police station in-charge Manish Lodha said police have identified around 20 witnesses to reconstruct the timeline of the disaster. So far, statements of five eyewitnesses have been recorded. The list of people to be interrogated includes the survivors to understand the initial moments of the spark, SDRF personnel as the rescue team members, who entered the smoke-filled house to retrieve the bodies, along with firefighters and first responders to testify about the state of the building upon their arrival.In a bid to identify the exact trigger of the fire, whether it was an electrical short circuit or an external factor, investigating officials have seized remains of melted switchboards, internal electrical wiring and burnt appliances. The items have been dispatched to forensic science laboratory (FSL) in Sagar for advanced technical analysis.The police have received the postmortem examination reports for all eight victims. The findings confirmed that the cause of death for the family members was a combination of asphyxiation (suffocation) and severe burn injuries. At present, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) official is scheduled to conduct a structural safety audit of the house. Consequently, the property is yet to handed over to the surviving family members.