Mumbai, June 4: The Central Board of Direct Taxes has issued a statement contradicting media reports which claimed that files related to Nirav Modi's bank fraud case have been damaged in the recent fire at Mumbai's Scindia House, where the I-T offices are located.

The CBDT on Sunday claimed the records related to diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi case were already shifted to the respective assessment units before the blaze on Friday.

"News reports have been appearing in some sections of the media alleging that records and documents relating to investigation into the Nirav Modi (and) Mehul Choksi case have been destroyed in the Scindia House fire in Income Tax Office in Mumbai,"  the CBDT said, further describing them as "false" and "misdirected".

"Apprehensions about any loss or damage to the records and documents relating to the Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi case in the said fire at the IT Office are, therefore, misplaced," the statement further added.

The uncle-nephew duo of Choksi and Modi are embroiled in a series of loan fraud cases, the quantum of which is more than Rs 13,400 crores. Notably, the jewellers moved out of India in the first week of January, days before the first FIR was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) case.

While Choksi's location is yet to be confirmed, reports claimed Modi has moved to the United Kingdom, after India pressed for his extradition with Hong Kong. A non-bailable warrant has been issued against the two absconders by a Special Enforcement Directorate (ED) court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2018 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).