A Delhi-based lawyer on Friday acquired two agricultural plots in Khed taluka of Ratnagiri, originally owned by Amina Bi, the mother of fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.
As per a report by the Times of India, the lawyer secured the plots through an auction for a total sum exceeding ₹2 crore.
Interestingly, the remaining two plots under Amina Bi's name did not attract any bidders. Notably, the smallest plot among the four, with an initial reserve price of ₹15,440, was auctioned for over ₹2 crore, marking a substantial increase of approximately 1,300 times the reserve price, TOI reported.
In the year 2020, Ajay Srivastava, the lawyer, acquired Dawood Ibrahim's ancestral home in Khed for a sum of ₹11.2 lakh.
“I have set up a Sanatan Dharma Pathshala trust and want to start a hostel for the students of the Sanatan school. I had also bought the adjoining land from the open market in 2017-18,” he told TOI.
When questioned about his decision to bid significantly above the reserve price for a plot valued at ₹15,440, Srivastava explained, “The survey number of this land, my birth date and the price I quoted add up to a figure in numerology that works in my favour. In 2020, I bought Dawood's bungalow as well.”
Meanwhile, ANI reported that advocate Ajay Shrivastav said “I will establish a school here later. I established 'Sanatan Dharma pathshala' at the bungalow of Dawood Ibrahim which I purchased in 2020.”
The auctioned properties are situated in Mumbake village in Khed taluka, a place where Dawood and his siblings spent part of their childhood. Seven bidders took part in the auction. Srivastava also acquired another property, an agricultural land spanning 1,730 sqm, initially priced at ₹1.56 lakh. In this auction, three individuals participated, and the lawyer successfully secured it for ₹3.3 lakh.
Four years ago, in 2020, six properties in Mumbake village, including Dawood's childhood home, were put up for auction. In 2017, the government successfully sold three opulent bungalows in South Delhi, which included a hotel, owned by Ibrahim.
Dawood Ibrahim, wanted in connection to the alleged mastermind behind the 1993 Mumbai blasts, which resulted in the loss of almost 250 lives and left thousands injured, is suspected to be residing in the upscale Clifton area of Karachi, according to Indian authorities.
However, the Pakistani government has consistently denied these claims.
(With inputs from agencies)
