Scindia House fire: papers pertaining to PNB scam intact, confirms I-T Dept

Two days after a fire broke out here in Scindia House, the Income Tax (I-T) Department on Sunday clarified that records/documents relating to the investigation of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam are intact.

The clarification comes after media reports suggested that documents/records related to the multi-million dollar scam involving noted jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi had been destroyed in the blaze.

"News reports appearing in some sections of media alleging that records/documents relating to the investigation of Nirav Modi/Mehul Choksi have been destroyed in the Scindia House fire in IT Office, Mumbai are completely false and misdirected," the I-T Department tweeted.

In a second tweet, the department said all paperwork in the ongoing investigation of the aforementioned case had already been transferred to assessment units housed in other buildings as part of the assessment process.

A Level 3 fire broke out in Scindia House, which houses offices of the IT department, at around 4 pm on Friday.

According to witnesses, five people were found stranded on the terrace area, who were later rescued by firefighters.