Dawood's ancestral home auctioned for more than Rs 11 lakh

Six properties of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, including his ancestral home in Mumbke village in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district, were sold in an auction held on Tuesday, an official said.

The auction was held by authorities under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, the official said.

The ancestral home of India's most wanted terrorist went for more than Rs 11 lakh.

A land plot in Lote village in Ratnagiri district remained unsold due to technical reasons and will be put for auction again, the official said.

An apartment belonging to Dawood's close aide Iqbal Mirchi also remained unsold, he said.

The auction was conducted through video-conferencing by SAFEMA authorities, in which seven properties of the fugitive don, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, were put up for auction, he said.

Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Shrivastav purchased 'Ibrahim Mansion', the ancestral property of the underworld don in Mumbke village of Khed taluka, for Rs 11.20 lakh, the official said.

Dawood's family had lived in the house before moving to Mumbai in 1983, he said.

Apart from the house, Shrivastav also purchased 25 'gunthas' of land, which was in the name of Dawood's mother Amin Bi and late sister Hasina Parkar, for Rs 4.30 lakh, the official added.

Advocate Bhupendra Bharadwaj successfully bid for four other properties of the fugitive don, he said.

"This fight is not for money, it is just to send a message to Dawood Ibrahim that we do not fear him and can purchase his properties," Shrivastav said.

"If he can kill our innocent people by sitting abroad, then we also can help our agencies with such contributions in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Shrivastav had also participated in previous auctions of Dawood's properties and had purchased an industrial plot.

After this, the advocate said he had received several threats from the don's aides.

Three properties of Dawood -- Shabnam Guest House, Hotel Raunaq Afroz and six rooms in Damarwala building -- had previously been auctioned under the SAFEMA Act, for Rs 11.58 crore.