Dawood Ibrahim's Properties To Be Auctioned Today: Who Are In The Race To Buy It?

Four properties of designated terrorist Dawood Ibrahim will be auctioned today. The properties are located in Mumbake village in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district.

All four parcels of land are agricultural where Dawood and his siblings spent their childhood.

The auction, set to take place in Mumbai, will be overseen by the competent authority and administrator of the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, also known as SAFEMA, under the Union Ministry of Finance.

Over the past nine years, SAFEMA authorities have already auctioned 11 properties belonging to Dawood Ibrahim or his relatives. The latest auction includes four properties with a combined reserve price of Rs 19.2 lakh.

The first property, spanning 10,420.5 sq m, has a reserve price of Rs 9.4 lakh. The second property covers 8,953 sq m with a reserve price of Rs 8 lakh. The third property, approximately 171 sq m, has a reserve price of Rs 15,440, while the fourth property, spanning 1,730 sq m, has a reserve price of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The said properties will go under the hammer in three modes -e-auction, public auction and tender in a sealed envelope.

Who are the bidders?

Ajay Srivastava, a member of Shiv Sena, has previously secured successful bids on three properties owned by the terrorist. In the past, Srivastava made a bid for a series of shops in 2001, and these properties are currently entangled in a legal tender process. He is optimistic about obtaining ownership of Dawood's ancestral home and wants to establish a Sanatan Pathshala (school) on the premises.

"I had bid for the bungalow in 2020. A Sanatan Dharm Pathshala Trust has been set up and construction of the school will start soon. I will participate in the auction on Friday. I had taken part in the auction in 2001 to get the fear of Dawood Ibrahim out of people's hearts, and a few people have come forward after that," NDTV quoted him as saying.

Also, Hindu Mahasabha president Swami Chakrapani has also come forward to take part in the bidding process. He has plans to construct a grand temple dedicated to Lord of Justice Chitragupta, as per a report in Free Press Journal.

"The purpose of establishing Lord Chitragupta is to create awareness of justice for our crimes and misdeeds. Lord Chitragupta keeps records of all actions and deeds to give appropriate rewards and punishment. Dawood Ibrahim betrayed India, killed innocent people and plotted bomb blasts. He will be punished for his crime by Lord Chitragupta," said Swami Chakrapani.

It may be recalled that the first auction of the gangster's properties held in 2000 had no bidders. In 2017, three luxurious properties in South Delhi, including a hotel, belonging to Ibrahim were auctioned off by the government.

This bidding process came weeks after speculations that claimed that the terrorist died after being poisoned by an unidentified individual.