Victims identified after human remains found inside Brampton home destroyed by fire

The remains of three people found inside a Brampton home that was destroyed in a fire on March 7 have been identified.

Peel police’s homicide unit took over the investigation of the fire, and along with the Office of the Chief Coroner, identified the remains as belonging to Rajiv Warikoo, 51, Shilpa Kotha, 47, and Mahek Warikoo, 16.

“All three of the deceased persons resided at the address prior to the fire,” police said in a release on Friday.

CityNews has learned that Rajiv Warikoo was a former auxiliary officer with Toronto police before leaving that role back in 2016 and was currently working for the Ontario government.

Peel police Cst. Nikhil Chakravarthy said the remains were discovered on the morning of March 8 by an excavation crew.

“This is currently a criminal investigation,” he said.

Flames tore through the home on Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive, in the Van Scott Drive and McLaughlin Road area, at around 1:30 p.m. on March 7, with witnesses reporting hearing explosions.

The fire destroyed the home and spread to an adjacent residence causing damage before firefighters were able to extinguish it.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to determine the cause of the fire.

“The circumstances surrounding the house fire remains the focus of an active investigation,” police said.

With files from Michael Talbot