The recovered funds have been returned to the affected shop owners, officials said.
Police and prosecutors concluded a 121-day investigation of the fire site, described as unprecedented by the National Prosecutor's Office. "The scope of activities was unprecedented: never before in Poland has an inspection of such scale been conducted. It was a major organizational, logistical, and procedural challenge. The inspection area covered 6 hectares. The shopping center housed 1,400 shops and service points rented by over 700 people," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
A total of 55 prosecutors and 100 police officers, along with technicians, experts, and machine operators, participated in the inspection, divided into six teams.
Valuables found amid the debris
During the investigation, authorities discovered 33 safes, 48 cash boxes containing money, and eight ATMs within the burned structure. Items returned to the victims include:
- Nearly 2 million PLN in unburned banknotes
- Numerous partially burned banknotes
- Nearly 1 kilogram of gold bars
- Over 3 kilograms of jewelry
- More than 33 kilograms of burned banknotes
Inspections of the recovered items are ongoing in the presence of the affected individuals.
Ongoing investigation into cause of fire
The prosecution is continuing its investigation to determine the cause of the fire and identify any potential perpetrators. So far, 60 witnesses and 440 victims have been interviewed.
"During the inspection, traces were found that may be related to the outbreak of the fire. They are currently being examined by experts, but the final opinion will require several more months," the prosecutor's office stated.
(jh)
Source: IAR, Polskie Radio 24