Twin fires at Nirav Modi unit raise doubts

LATE-NIGHT fires on two consecutive nights inside a long-shuttered jewellery unit linked to fugitive diamond baron Nirav Modi have shaken Surat's Special Economic Zone (SEZ), not just because the flames rose twice in two nights, but because each spark has ignited deeper questions about security, sabotage, and a possible cover-up.

- DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA @Ahmedabad

The first fire broke out on Thursday night on the ground floor of Fire Star Diamond, a company sealed years ago by the Enforcement Directorate at the SEZ on Sachin Road in Surat. Firefighters rushed in, contained the blaze, and believed the danger had passed for good. But the calm was short-lived.

Barely a day later, on Friday night, the fire returned, this time with bigger fury. Flames erupted again from the ground floor, leapt upwards, and engulfed the first floor, sending thick plumes of smoke into the night sky.