Dawood Ibrahim’s ancestral property in Maharashtra auctioned for ₹2 crore

Fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's ancestral property, which was kept at a reserve price of ₹15,440, was auctioned by the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Authority (SAFEMA) at ₹2 crore on Friday. 

Notably, this was the smallest plot of the four properties belonging to his family members. These four properties are located at Mumbke village in Khed tehsil of coastal Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. 

The properties were available at the auction but no bids were received for two of them. The other two properties received four and three bidders, respectively, and a single person emerged as a successful bidder for both of them, PTI reported. 

One property, agricultural land measuring 170.98 sqmt, received the highest bid of ₹2.01 crore against the reserve price of ₹15,440, the official said, adding that another -- agricultural land measuring 1730 sqmt -- fetched the highest bid of ₹3.28 lakh against the reserve price of ₹1,56,270. 

The name of the successful bidder was not disclosed, as per PTI reports. 

The auction took place at the Aayakar Bhavan in south Mumbai. Ibrahim, a wanted accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, is believed to be living in Pakistan.

Four years ago, six properties of Dawood Ibrahim from the Mumbake village, including his childhood home went up for auction in 2020. In 2017, three luxurious bungalows located in South Delhi, including a hotel, owned by Ibrahim were sold by the government.

Months ago, several media reports claimed that the fugitive underworld criminal faced another attempt at murder in Pakistan. He was reportedly hospitalised in Pakistan's Karachi, after being poisoned. Several reports also suggested that Dawood Ibrahim received treatment at a Pakistan hospital under tight security.

Dawood Ibrahim is the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts that cost the lives of nearly 250 people and left thousands of people injured. Indian authorities have hinted that Ibrahim is currently living in Karachi's upmarket Clifton area, a claim that has been often denied by the Pakistan government.

(With PTI inputs)