An illegal bungalow belonging to absconding diamond merchant Nirav Modi was demolished on Friday morning using explosives, according to state government officials.
The sprawling bungalow measuring more than 30,000 sq ft at Kihim beach in Alibaug across the sea from Mumbai’s Gateway of India was declared illegal since it violated Coastal Regulation Zone laws prohibiting construction near the seashore. Since manual demolition was progressing at a slow pace, it was decided to bring down the building using dynamite.
According to the District Collector, more than 110 sticks of dynamite were used in the demolition. For the past several days experts hired by the authorities supervised the placement of dynamite at strategic locations in the structure.
WATCH | Fugitive billionaire Nirav Modi's seaside bungalow in Maharashtra demolished with explosives
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At around 11.15 am today, the dynamite was detonated bringing down the structure. Drones deployed by the authorities videographed the demolition exercise.
Bharat Shitole, Additional Collector, Raigad district, who has so far demolished more than 40 illegal structures in different parts of Maharashtra using dynamite, told reporters that several items from the bungalow like a jacuzzi, a chandelier and a statue of the Buddha were recovered before demolition and handed over to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED is investigating Nirav Modi for allegedly defrauding banks like the Punjab National Bank for several thousand crore rupees.
Officials said the swanky bungalow was used by Nirav Modi to host grand parties for his celebrity clients and government officials.