Crores expected as Dawood Ibrahim's property goes under the hammer in Mumbai

Mumbai: Possessions once owned by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim are going under the hammer on Wednesday. The auction will take place in Hotel Diplomat in South Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_2403650” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Dawood Ibrahim. IBNLive[/caption] Assets on auction include an eatery on Pakmodia Street where the gangster lived in 1980’s, tenancy rights of a room in a building at Matunga and a car which is gathering dust in the premises of a police station in suburban Ghatkopar. Former city based journalist S Balakrishnan, a Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Shrivastava and president of Hindu Mahasabha Swami Chakrapani are among the bidders who have shown interest in these assets, police said. “Local police force will be deployed at the site and we will keep a watch at the event,” said DCP Dhananjay Kulkarni. The government agency has appointed a private firm to hold the auction under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Properties) Act, 1976. Chairman of Desh Seva Samiti, Balakrishnan has said, “My NGO wants this property (eatery on Pakmodia) to help underprivileged women and children of Bhendi Bazar to learn computers. This will help the people in society and give a strong message to gangsters like Dawood that Indians are not afraid from him and he can no longer unleash terror in the country.” Earlier, Balakrishnan had filed a complaint with the police saying that Dawood’s right-hand man Chhota Shakeel had threatened him against bidding for the property. The eatery, Delhi Zaika which was earlier known as hotel Rounak Afroz, is priced at Rs 1.18 crore. This eatery, is located at a stone’s throw distance from Dawood’s house in Dambarwala building where his younger brother Iqbal Kaskar resides. A Hyundai Accent (MH-04-AX-3676) which is priced at Rs 15,700. This green sedan has been parked at a government society in Ghatkopar from past four years and is in bad shape with burst tyres and shattered windshield. The room, which belongs to the gangster, is situated in Mahavir Building in Matunga, said police. The base price for the 32.77 sq metre room has been fixed at Rs 50.44 lakh. Lawyer Shrivastava, in an earlier auction had won an industrial unit in Tardeo owned by Dawood in 2001, but has still not got its possession as the don’s sister Haseena Parkar had challenged it in court. The next hearing of this matter is scheduled to be held on December 18. PTI