On 1st June, a massive fire broke out in Scindia House (commercial), Mumbai, which houses the income tax department’s investigation and debt recovery tribunal.
Mumbai: A Level-2 fire broke out inside an office at Scindia House (Commercial) near Income Tax office, Ballard estate. Five fire tenders present at the spot. No casualty reported. pic.twitter.com/o1SisBfFt1
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2018
Following the fire, many media houses spread speculative news that fire destroyed sensitive files on Nirav Modi case. Some even included that along with Nirav Modi, files of Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya were also ‘destroyed‘ in the fire. Some publications even asserted that the files were destroyed.
Aam Aadmi Party supporter, who has been accused of spreading fake news, also took to Twitter to spread speculative news.
Yesterday, Mumbai's Income Tax Department building was on Fire ?
Coincidentally, many have said that important files related to Nirav Modi tax evasion were in that building.
In a similar coincidence few months ago, fire burnt all files at Gorakhpur Hospital where kids died
— Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee) June 2, 2018
However, Income Tax department today issued a statement refuting all such claims and said that these news and false and misdirected.
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
They clarified that such documents pertaining to the case were already transferred to assessment units housed in another building as part of investigation.
It is clarified that records/documents of ongoing investigation of Nirav Modi/ Mehul Choksi case had already been transferred to assessment units housed in other buildings as part of assessment process. Apprehensions of loss/damage to records(Scindia House,ITOffice fire)misplaced
— Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) June 3, 2018
