Mumbai: The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust on Tuesday won the auction for three properties of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. The trust won the auction for the Shabnam Guest House, six flats in Damarwala building and a restaurant Rounaq Afroz, said a spokesperson of the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust. Rounaq Afroz restaurant, also known as Delhi Zaika, was sold for Rs 4.53 crore. The Damarwala property was sold for Rs 3.53 crore while Shabnam fetched a price of Rs 3.52 crore.
“The three properties fall under our ongoing Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project. These buildings are in dilapidated condition and unfit for living. Therefore, to ensure safety of the families living in these buildings and to carry on with redevelopment project, we participated in bidding and acquired these properties,” the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust spokesperson said.
The auction was ordered by the Ministry of Finance under SAFEMA (Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators) Forfeiture of Properties Act. It was conducted on Tuesday morning by a private auctioneering firm at Indian Merchant Chambers (IMC) Churchgate through E-Auction and public auction.
The Shabnam Guest house is a two storey building on Yakub Street, Bhendi Bazar. The Reserve price kept for the present auction was Rs 1,23,43,000. The six flats in Damarwala building were home to Dawood Ibrahim and his family members in the late eighties. Ibrahim’s close aide Kaskar, after being released from jail, was staying in this building and conducting operations of D Gang. The Reserve price kept for the property was Rs 1,55,76,000.
The Rounaq Afroz restaurant had gone under hammer in 2015. Its bid was won by a former journalist S Balakrishnan, who couldn’t raise the bid amount which was Rs 4.28 crore. Hence, the property was auctioned again today.
Balakrishnan had also claimed that he received a threat asking him to withdraw from the auction. The Reserve price kept for the property was Rs 1,18,63,000.
