The death toll in the Anandapur warehouse fire is feared to have climbed to 16, police said on Wednesday. Investigators began DNA tests to identify victims from charred remains recovered at the site.
Police said they had recovered “16 body exhibits” from the mangled metal structures of the two gutted warehouses. The remains may not correspond to 16 individuals, as several body parts could belong to the same person, officials said.
The police have received missing person complaints for 27 people who may have been on the premises when the fire broke out early on January 26.
To establish identities, Baruipur police have begun collecting blood samples from family members of the 27 missing persons for DNA matching. “It is very difficult to ascertain whether the 16 body exhibits recovered from the spot belong to 16 persons or fewer. We have started the DNA matching process,” said Shubhendra Kumar, superintendent of police, Baruipur police district.
Gangadhar Das, owner of one of the two warehouses — the decorator agency's godown — was produced before a Baruipur court on Wednesday and remanded in eight days’ police custody. The police said a special investigation team has been formed to probe what caused the blaze.
Wow Momo, the fast-food chain that operated from the second warehouse, lost three staff members in the fire and announced compensation for them.
Wow Momo announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh per family, lifetime monthly salary payments to the bereaved members, and full educational support for the children of the deceased.
In a statement, the company said: “On 26th January 2026, early morning at 3am, fire from our neighbouring warehouse spread into our premises which led to a complete burn down of one of our warehouse premises at Anandpur, Kolkata. Our hearts are immersed with grief and pain for having lost 2 of our valued employees and a NIS-contracted security guard in this entire catastrophe.
“The fire that emerged from the neighbouring premises reportedly started due to unauthorised cooking at their warehouse. This fire engulfed not only our men, our spirit too…”
The statement added: “We met all 3 families... We have given our commitment that beyond statutory and government benefits which they are entitled to, our promise is: A lump-sum compensation of ₹10,00,000 per family; lifetime monthly salary paid every month to the bereaved and education for children of the family.”
Police sources said that during the investigation, it emerged that the owner of the decorator business had rented out around 12,000 sq ft of space to the fast-food chain in May 2023. “The contract between the two clearly mentioned that the fast-food company should not store any hazardous substances,” said an officer of Baruipur police district.
Fire and emergency services officials had said on Tuesday that neither of the two establishments had a valid fire licence.
Based on a complaint filed by the fire department, the police have registered a case under sections relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with provisions of the fire services laws.
Appearing in court on behalf of Gangadhar Das, lawyer Anirban Guha Thakurta said his client was not responsible for the fire. He said: “A plane crashed today. Has the airline company or the company’s owner been held responsible?”
He added that Das had not been absconding at the time of his arrest.
The Baruipur court on Wednesday issued prohibitory orders barring unauthorised entry or assemblies within 100 metres of the Nazirabad Road fire site, to prevent tampering with evidence.