synopsis

A total of four properties, located at Mumbke village in Khed tehsil of coastal Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, were available at the auction, but no bids were received for two of them.

On Friday, two properties linked to the family members of India's most wanted underworld don Dawood Ibrahim were successfully auctioned in Mumbai, organized by the competent authority under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act. The auction featured a total of four properties situated in Mumbke village, Khed tehsil, coastal Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra. However, two properties did not receive any bids.

The remaining two properties garnered significant attention, attracting four and three bidders, respectively. A single individual emerged as the successful bidder for both of these properties. The highest bid, amounting to Rs 2.01 crore against a reserve price of Rs 15,440, secured an agricultural land measuring 170.98 sqmt. Another agricultural land, measuring 1730 sqmt, received the highest bid of Rs 3.28 lakh against a reserve price of Rs 1,56,270.

The identity of the successful bidder remains undisclosed. The auction proceedings unfolded at Aayakar Bhavan in south Mumbai. Among the notable ancestral properties auctioned is Dawood Ibrahim's childhood residence in Mumbake village, where he was born and spent his formative years. The properties were seized by the government under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act, 1976.

The initial auction of a property seized from Dawood Ibrahim, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, by the government occurred in 2000. Despite being a significant auction, no participants showed up due to concerns about the notorious terrorist.

In November 2020, six properties in Mumbake village, including Dawood Ibrahim's childhood home, were put up for auction. Prior to this, in 2017, the government auctioned off three opulent properties in South Delhi, including a hotel, owned by Ibrahim.

Several weeks ago, there were rumors circulating that Ibrahim had been urgently taken to a hospital in Karachi, supposedly poisoned through his food and facing a life-threatening situation. However, Pakistani authorities did not officially validate these reports.

Speculations arose suggesting Ibrahim's presence in the hospital under stringent security measures, with claims that he was put on a ventilator due to worsening health. Nevertheless, these assertions were refuted by his trusted associate.

Chhota Shakeel, a close aide of the underworld figure, asserted that such reports were mere "rumors" and emphasized that Ibrahim was "1000 percent fit".