Nirav Modi’s seaside bungalow demolished using explosives

 

MUMBAI, Mar 8: A few seconds was all it took to
bring down the 30,000 sq ft seaside mansion of fugitive
diamantaire Nirav Modi, at Kihim beach in Maharashtra Friday.

The bungalow was demolished using controlled blasting,

Raigad district collector Vijay Suryawanshi told PTI from the

site, around 90 km from here.

A large amount of dust was seen coming from the

structure as it collapsed during the controlled blasts.

The sprawling mansion of Modi, accused in the USD 2

billion PNB fraud case, was worth around Rs 40 crore, another

official said.

Suryawanshi issued the demolition orders after the

Enforcement Directorate (ED) handed over the property.

On Tuesday, excavators were used to open up the

pillars of the ‘Roopanya’ bungalow, to make space for fixing

the detonators, the senior IAS official said.

Maharashtra government last year wrote to the ED,

which had sealed the bungalow, seeking a nod to demolish the

property.

The fixtures from the bungalow will be up for auction.

Three items, a jacuzzi, a chandelier, and a Buddha statue,

have been kept aside for handing over to the ED, the official

said.

The estimated cost of the jacuzzi is Rs 15 lakh, the

chandelier is worth Rs 20 lakh and the Buddha statue cost

may be around Rs 10 lakh, a senior district administration

official told PTI.

On January 25, district officials began the demolition

work using bulldozers, but found it time-consuming due to the

RCC construction.

On January 27, structural engineers from Dr Babasaheb

Ambedkar Technical University conducted a survey. The experts

suggested that the district officers carry out the demolition

with the help of controlled blasting.

Modi’s bungalow was attached by the ED following his

involvement in the Punjab National Bank fraud case. It was

handed over to the collector’s office on January 24, after the

ED seized two trucks full of valuables from the building.

The demolition of Nirav Modi’s bungalow will set the

stage for a similar fate of three other bungalows in the

coastal regulatory zone areas near Alibaug, an official said.

(PTI)

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