Payment delay: Lawyer who won Dawood Ibrahim-associated plot faces deadline pressure; check details

During the auction, which featured properties under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act or Safema, Srivastava secured both plots through bids in three modes—online, public, and sealed envelope tender.

Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Srivastava, who successfully bid on two agricultural plots in the Jan 5 auction of Ratnagiri properties associated with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, has encountered delays in making the first installment payment for one of the plots. The payment deadline for Rs 2.01 crore was last week, and Srivastava has sought additional time for the transaction.

Notably, he has already made the full payment (Rs 3.28 lakh) for the other plot, both of which were seized from Dawood's mother Amina Bi. The auctioned properties are located in Mumbake village, Khed taluka, where Dawood and his siblings spent part of their childhood.

During the auction, which featured properties under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act or Safema, Srivastava secured both plots through bids in three modes—online, public, and sealed envelope tender.

The smaller plot, with a reserve price of Rs 15,440 and an area of 171 sq m, was auctioned for Rs 2.01 crore. The second, spanning 1,730 sq m with a reserve price of Rs 1.56 lakh, was auctioned for Rs 3.28 lakh. These plots were the childhood residence of Dawood and his siblings.

According to auction rules, for properties exceeding Rs 50 lakh in value, the winning bidder must pay 25% within 30 days and the full amount within 90 days. Officials overseeing the auction are currently reviewing the situation. Srivastava, in his bid, had cited numerological reasons for quoting a high figure of Rs 2.01 crore.

He expressed his intention to establish the Sanatan Dharma Pathshala Trust and initiate a hostel for students. Despite the delay in the first installment, he made the full payment for the other plot well before the deadline.