Police term fire in company as murder; friend may have stabbed Vaishna and set fire, say police 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police termed the death of two in a fire at New India Insurance Company in Pappanamcode as a murder. Police said Vaishna (34), an employee of the company and staying at Dikkubalikkalam Road in Pappanamcode and her male friend Binu were the two who lost their lives in the fire. Police said a DNA test will be conducted to confirm the body of the male as Binu.

Police said Binu doused kerosene on her body and set fire. It is suspected that he may have stabbed her and then set fire. A knife was recovered from the room. Vaishna’s first husband and Binu were friends. After separating from her first husband, she was staying with Binu. However, for the past seven months, Vaishna and Binu were estranged. A fight broke out between the two at the insurance company in Pappanamcode four months ago.

The fire broke out yesterday at 1.30 pm. The locals rushed in and tried to douse the flames but to no avail. The fire force arrived and extinguished it completely.

The police first thought that the AC could have exploded or a short circuit was the cause of the fire, but the investigation revealed that it was not the case. Forensic and fingerprint experts arrived and conducted the examination. Vaishna joined the company seven years ago, which started fifteen years ago. She is the daughter of Venugopalan Nair and Sudhakala. She leaves behind her children Devadevan and Varsha. Her sibling is Vishnu.