Kolkata, Feb 21 (AHN) The bodies of 18 victims of the Anandapur warehouse fire on the southern outskirts of Kolkata have been identified through DNA mapping and handed over to their families from the Katapukur morgue on Saturday.

Initially, it was believed that the 18 bodies handed over to the families were among the 27 persons reported missing, which had led to the assumption that the death toll had risen to 45. However, official sources later clarified that the death toll remains at 27. The 18 bodies identified through DNA analysis were among those killed in the fire, and not additional fatalities.

The devastating fire incident happened on the night of January 26.

Police sources said the identification was confirmed after matching DNA samples of the remains with those provided by family members of the deceased.

Among the 18 identified victims, 16 were from East Midnapore district, one from West Midnapore district, and one from Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. Family members were asked to report to Katapukur morgue in south Kolkata to complete the formalities before the mortal remains were handed over by Narendrapur police station officials.

Police officials said that relatives were required to first report to Narendrapur police station, after which they were escorted to the Katapukur morgue to receive the mortal remains. The Baruipur police district has also informed the concerned district administrations about the development.

The district administrations and local police authorities in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, and South 24 Parganas have contacted the families and assured them of necessary assistance and support.

The deceased have been identified as Kartik Jana, Nantu Khada, Subrata Khada, Prosenjit Ghara, Sandip Kumar Maiti, Krishnandu Dhara, Gurupada Sau, Basudeb Haldar, Basudeb Bera, Buddhadev Jana, Biswajit Sau, Khudiram Dinda, Shashank Jana, Bimal Maiti, Jaydev Majhi, Ramakrishna Mandal, Sujit Singh, and Tapankumar Dolui.

The fire had broken out on the night of January 26 at a warehouse belonging to Pushpanjali Decorators and subsequently spread to an adjacent warehouse associated with Wow Momo. All 27 victims were charred beyond recognition, making immediate identification impossible.

Families of the missing persons had lodged complaints at Narendrapur police station, following which blood samples of relatives were collected for DNA analysis. The identification process was carried out by matching the DNA of recovered remains with samples provided by family members.

Officials said DNA matching of the remains of nine victims is still pending, and identification will be completed after forensic reports are received. Death certificates will subsequently be issued to the families by the concerned local authorities.

Meanwhile, Gangadhar Das, owner of the decorators’ warehouse, and two persons associated with the Wow Momo-linked unit have been arrested in connection with the incident. They are currently lodged in Baruipur correctional facility as further investigation continues.