PNB fraud: Nirav Modi papers gutted in fire at Income Tax office

Mumbai, June 3 : Files on absconding jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi apart from several others wanted for economic offences have been destroyed in a major fire at the premises of the Income Tax department on Friday, according to sources here.

The fire that broke out at the heritage Scindia House building in South Mumbai’s Ballard Estate area around 5 pm on Friday evening raged on till early Saturday. Fire Brigade officials said it was a Level 4 fire, which indicated a high-level of seriousness. Seven persons who trapped in the premises were rescued by the fire department.

Cooling operations were completed only by Saturday afternoon and officials of the Income Tax department and the Debt Recovery Tribunal, whose offices were completely gutted, managed to enter the premises only late in the evening to assess the damage.