Fire and emergency services officials who were engaged in the search operation at the warehouse fire site in Anandapur off EM Bypass were withdrawn on Sunday.
The search operation is over, sources said.
“We have withdrawn our men from the spot. There is nothing more we can do on that spot. The search operation is over,” said a senior official of the state fire and emergency services.
So far, 25 body parts have been recovered from the site, where two warehouses were completely gutted in the blaze. Employees who were housed inside the premises were charred beyond recognition.
The recovered body parts have been sent to a forensic laboratory for DNA profiling to match them with samples of relatives of the 27 people reported missing since the fire.
Of them, three were employees of the WoW! Momo warehouse, while the others are believed to have been sleeping inside a decorator’s warehouse.
The fire broke out early on Republic Day morning, gutting both warehouses.
Police sources said it could take several weeks for forensic reports to arrive, which
will help establish the identities of the remains.
On Sunday, members of the special investigation team (SIT), constituted to probe the incident, examined several warehouse employees to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the fire.
Prohibitory orders have been imposed around the site to prevent the entry of outsiders who could hamper the investigation.
Baruipur police have asked the wife of one WoW! Momo employee feared dead to submit relevant documents.
Sources said Mousumi, wife of Pankaj Halder, is being considered for appointment as a civic volunteer in Baruipur police district.
