A significant fire broke out on Sunday morning at the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Zone-1 office in Ballard Estate, South Mumbai, and continued for nearly 10 hours. The blaze, which originated in the mezzanine area connected to the fourth floor, is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit. The affected floors housed administrative records and offices of senior ED officials. While no casualties were reported, the fire caused extensive damage to office infrastructure, including computers and documentation. An assessment of the damage’s full extent is currently underway.

The fire has raised concerns about the potential loss of investigation records related to high-profile cases, including those involving fugitive businessmen Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi, as well as politicians Chhagan Bhujbal and Anil Deshmukh. While both physical and digital records were stored at the office, sources indicated that since most documents had been digitized, the agency may be able to recover them. The ED had submitted the original investigation records of cases with filed chargesheets to the court, retaining copies … However, the incident is likely to impact the questioning … scheduled witnesses … .

The ED has not yet provided an official statement regarding the incident, and investigations into the cause of the fire and its impact on ongoing cases are ongoing.

Sources