PNB Loan Fraud: Files Of Nirav Modi And Mehul Choksi Destroyed In A Fire
There was a fire on Friday at the Income Tax Department office in South Mumbai in which their loan fraud papers were gutted.
Papers pertaining to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi scam were burnt in a major fire at the Income Tax Department office in Mumbai, sources told Tribune India.
Modi and Choksi are undergoing investigation for fraud and facing bankruptcy proceedings. They are on a run after the Rs 13000 crore loan fraud at the Punjab National Bank- the largest fraud till date in the country.
Several other files of those wanted for economic offences were also burnt.
A fire broke out in the Income Tax department premises at heritage Scindia House building in South Mumbai’s Ballard Estate area around 5 pm on Friday evening. The fire was major and raged on till early Saturday.
Officials of the Income Tax department and the Debt Recovery Tribunal whose offices were completely gutted were able to assess the damage on Sunday.
Anil Galgali, RTI activist who obtained a number of documents related to the case told reporters that the fire may have been caused deliberately with a vested interest.
Income Tax officials said files lost in the fire will take time to be “reconstructed”. It will delay the investigations, the official told Tribune India.
“Copies of documents are usually available at various other locations, but it will take time to ‘reconstruct’ the files,” Tribune India source at the Income Tax department said.
Late Sunday night, IT department on Twitter posted an update:
News reports appearing in some sections of media alleging that records/documents relating to investigation of Nirav Modi/Mehul Choksi have been destroyed in the Scindia House fire in ITOffice,Mumbai are completely false & misdirected @PMOIndia @FinMinIndia @arunjaitley @adhia03
— Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) June 3, 2018