Nirav Modi's seaside bungalow demolished

The luxurious bungalow of fugitive diamond merchant and businessman Nirav Modi in the coastal Raigad district was brought down by controlled explosions on Friday.

The bungalow - worth several crores - is located off the Kihim beach in Alibaug in Raigad district, nearly 100 km from Mumbai.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi is wanted for defrauding the Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 13,700 crore.

The demolition work is being undertaken in the wake of the Bombay High Court order in response to a PIL filed by Shamburaje Yuva Kranti, an NGO, which had sought action against illegal bungalows in the Raigad district.

Several of the bungalows owned by high net worth individuals from Mumbai that are located here violates Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

Built in 2009-2010, on a 70,000 sq ft plot, the 33,000 sq ft bungalow - Roopanya - with multiple bedrooms was accessible through a long road. It was one of the highly protected properties.

Though the Kihim bungalow was not directly linked with the PNB scam, it was attached by the Enforcement Directorate along with his known assets in Maharashtra, Gujarat and other places in an effort to recover a part of the dues from Modi.

The formal demolition work commenced on 25 January. On 25 January 27 structural engineers from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technical University conducted a survey - and they suggested controlled blasts. The furniture and glass panes were removed before the series of explosions could be carried out.

"The demolition was carried out as per the orders of the court," said Raigad district collector Vijay Suryawanshi. Earlier this week, excavators were used to open up the pillars of the bungalow to make space for fixing the detonators and dynamite - and carry out the series of implosions.