Diamantaire Nirav Modi’s sea-facing bungalow at Kihim beach in Raigad district, Alibaug was demolished through controlled blasting at 11:15 am on Friday morning. The net worth of 33000 square foot luxurious bungalow was estimated at Rs 100 crore. It is around 90 km from Mumbai. The bungalow was declared illegal along with 58 other structures which violates the Coastal regulatory Zone.
Around 110 holes were drilled using excavators into the pillars and 30 kg explosives were attached inside the holes over the last 2 days.
Additional Collector Bharat Shitole said that “The technical experts were working on a war footing to make the holes and fix the explosives. We finished by 6 am on Friday after which we took some rest and the structure was demolished at 11:15 am.”
A buzz footage was released by the demolition team shows the extravagant structure where the fugitive billionaire used to throw parties and host product shows, collapsed in a dusty cloud.
The PIL (Public Interest Litigation) was filed regarding the demolition of billionaire bungalow in Bombay High Court by non- profit Shamburaje Yuva Kranti in 2009, to take action against illegal bungalows, hotels and resorts which violates the high-tide and low-tide zones in Rajgad beaches in Alibaug.
Mr Modi pursued the then district collector and legalized his property by providing some documents but in 2018, district Collector Vijay Suryawanshi had filed an affidavit demanding the order to be reviewed. The bungalow was declared illegal and Raigad collector issued a notice regarding the demolition of bungalow on December 4, 2018.
Earlier the district officials carried out the demolition work on January 25, using bulldozers but they found that it is a time consuming work due to the RCC construction. On January 27, structural engineers from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar technological University conducted a survey and suggested that the demolition work should carried out by controlled blasting.
Nirav Modi is one of the main accused along with Mehul Choksi in Punjab National Bank Scam worth Rs 13000 crore. He initially approached the High Court for not demolished his bungalow as the property was attached by the Enforcement Directorate after the PNB scam surfaced.
Later the bungalow was handed over to the Collector’s office on January 24 after the ED seized all the valuable items from the building.