As Dawood Ibrahim's property in Bhindi Bazar comes up for re-auction on November 14, former winning bidder, who could not pay, speaks on accusations of being a sham and publicity hound
Two years after a high-voltage auction of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's property Hotel Raunaq Afroz on Pakmodia Street in Bhendi Bazar, it is going in a for a re-auction. The government had attached Hotel Raunaq Afroz after the 1993 serial blasts.
S Balakrishnan at Hotel Diplomat, Colaba, on December 9, 2015
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A recent public notice in newspapers cites that Raunaq Afroz is up for auction after the previous winning bidder, S Balakrishnan, could not cough up R4.28 crore he'd won the property for. The former journalist and advocate's NGO, Desh Seva Samiti, also lost the Rs 30 lakh it had given as deposit for the auction.
Hindu Mahasabha's Swami Acharya Chakrapani had made an appearance at the auction two years ago, giving a saffron twist to the event and sending the media into a tizzy
Balakrishnan was given a month, after he won the bid, to raise the money, but he could not do so and had to forfeit the property and his deposit.
Once more
During the auction on December 9, 2015, a phalanx of media photographers had waited outside, wilting in the heat, as Bala vs the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT) were locked in a bidding battle inside the hotel. The Trust is redeveloping Bhendi Bazar and was keen to bag the property, as it is located at a crucial junction.
A spokesperson from the Trust refused to comment on whether they are going to participate in the auction again. The public re-auction of the property will take place on November 14 from 10 am. There are three methods of sale - the sealed tender, public auction and e-auction on the same day - and the venue for the same is the second floor of the Indian Merchants Chamber building in Churchgate.
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