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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