Nirav Modi's Kihim bungalow razed to ground

Mumbai: The 30,000 square feet seaside mansion of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi at Kihim beach in Maharashtra was brought down Friday. A large amount of dust spread in the area as the bungalow was demolished using controlled blasting, according to Raigad district collector Vijay Suryawanshi.

The demolition orders were issued after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) handed over the property, that was worth around Rs 140 crores. 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.

Earlier in 2018, the Maharashtra government had written to the ED, which sealed the bungalow, seeking a nod to demolish the property, after Modi was accused in the PNB fraud case. The fixtures from the bungalow will be put 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 '15 lakh, the chandelier is worth '20 lakh, and the Buddha statue cost may be around '10 lakh, according to a senior district administration official.

On January 25, district officials commenced demolition work using bulldozers but found it time-consuming due to 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. Following Modi’s involvement in the PNB fraud case, the ED attached his bungalow. 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 to befall three other bungalows in the coastal regulatory zone areas near Alibaug, an official said.