Narcotics bureau case files may have been destroyed

The office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was reduced to ashes on Wednesday morning after a huge fire broke out in the Exchange Building at Ballard Estate.

The office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was reduced to ashes on Wednesday morning after a huge fire broke out in the Exchange Building at Ballard Estate.

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Fire officials took around two hours to bring the fire under control.

The NCB office is on the third floor of the four-storey building.

According to an initial investigation, the fire broke because of a short circuit. The building was evacuated after the fire broke out.

The third floor was completely burnt and some of the NCB’s important documentation might have got destroyed in the fire.

NCB officials claimed that no confiscated narcotic substance or important documents were destroyed. “Our assessment of the damage is going on. All arms and ammunition, confiscated drugs and important documents are safe,” said Rohit Katiyar, zonal director, NCB.

Most files of important cases were kept in cupboards which saved them, sources said. “We are trying to figure out which case files got destroyed in the fire,” said an officer from the NCB, requesting anonymity.
Till late evening, NCB officials were assessing the damage while the other staff was trying to clean the area covered in ash.