Nirav Modi\'s seaside bungalow demolished using explosives

Nirav Modi's seaside bungalow demolished using explosives

Press Trust of India  |  Mumbai 

A few seconds was all it took to bring down the 30,000 sq ft seaside mansion of fugitive diamantaire Modi, at beach in Friday.

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 said.

Suryawanshi issued the demolition orders after the (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 said.

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 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

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 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 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.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, March 08 2019. 15:40 IST