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Mumbai: 20-hr blaze chars all I-T files in Scindia house

Office held papers about Modi, Mallya fraud investigations

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Charred remains of the Income Tax office in Scindia House at Ballard Pier which caught fire on Friday
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The massive fire that broke out at the Income Tax (Investigations) office in Scindia house, Ballard Estate at 4.30 pm on Friday was doused by around 12 noon on Saturday. The cooling operations went on till Saturday night. The fire brigade department said that the dousing operation was challenging because of the amount of paper files, cubicles, wooden cupboards and furniture that crowded the floors. No casualties were reported.

The fire raged through around 12,000 sq feet on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the five-storied building. Six people who were rescued on Friday were discharged from St George hospital on Saturday. "We have parked two fire engines on the spot as precautionary measures," said Deputy Fire Officer Rajendra Chaudhary, "At least 120 firemen were pushed to service for the fire-fighting operations. Many cupboards had fallen on the floors, and we opened them, we found that the papers and files inside were ablaze. It was time-consuming time to extinguish the fire. Each floor of the building is around 4000 sqft."

The cause of the fire has not yet been declared by the fire brigade, but activists smell sabotage as the offices charred contained important files pertaining to investigation into the Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya frauds, among others. Police says it has begun investigation into the case, and eyewitness said a short circuit was the cause.

"As the building housed the investigation cell of the Income Tax department, it had files and documents pertaining to cases that were being probed in Mumbai and Maharashtra," said a senior Income Tax official. "They have all been burned. We are not authorised to divulge information about the documents and the cases we are probing. It will take us time to take the stock of the damage."

"We are taking statements and investigating the cause of fire," said senior police inspector of MRA Marg police station Sukhlal Varpe, adding, "People say they saw a short circut. We cannot comment on the intention of sabotage."

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), the planning authority for Scindia House, to carry out a structural audit before okaying re-occupation, informed Assistant Municipal Commissioner (A ward), Kiran Dighavkar. Scindia House is a Grade II heritage structure.

Surabhi Sharma, administrative officer of Scindia House, refused to comment as to where its offices be shifted to in the interim.

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