Mumbai, Maharashtra: On January 5th, 2024, a piece of infamous history will go under the hammer as Dawood Ibrahim’s childhood home and three other agricultural properties owned by his family in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, are set to be auctioned. Dawood Ibrahim, a known terrorist, has a childhood home and three other family properties in Mumbake village, Maharashtra, which will be auctioned on Friday. These agricultural plots in Ratnagiri were seized by authorities under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act. The total value of these plots is over ₹19 lakh. Previous attempts to sell them failed due to their association with Dawood, but now, the authorities are auctioning them through SAFEMA (Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act) because no one was willing to buy them earlier.
A Peek into the Don’s Formative Years:
The auction will take place in Mumbai on January 5 and deadline for registration is January 3 (tomorrow). In the past nine years, 11 properties belonging to Dawood or his family have been auctioned. including a restaurant sold for ₹ 4.53 crore, six flats sold for ₹ 3.53 crore, and a guest house that fetched ₹ 3.52 crore.
Dawood Ibrahim, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, had lived in the Mumbake village before moving to Mumbai in 1983. He left India after the series of bomb blasts which resulted in the death of 257 persons.
On March 12, 1993, Mumbai (then Bombay) was rocked by a series of bomb blasts that killed 257 persons, injured more than 700 persons, and destroyed property worth approximately ₹ 27 crore. The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the request of Maharashtra government.
Financial Gains vs. Ethical Conundrum:
The auction, conducted by the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA), aims to recover assets linked to criminal activities. The proceeds will go towards the government, potentially benefiting society. However, the moral dilemma of profiting from someone else’s ill-gotten gains cannot be ignored. Questions arise about whether owning a property associated with such negativity brings more harm than good.
Beyond the Bidding:
On June 16, 2017, several people, including Mustafa Dossa and Abu Salem, were found guilty in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The attacks were reportedly planned by the wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.
The auction transcends the mere financial transaction. It serves as a reminder of the far-reaching consequences of crime and the ongoing efforts to combat it. Dawood Ibrahim’s story is a cautionary tale, and owning a piece of his past could be a catalyst for conversations about justice, rehabilitation, and the fight against organized crime