Government to auction properties belonging to Dawood Ibrahim in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Indian government has taken a decision to sell off several properties belonging to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. A notice in this regard has been published in newspapers.

In the advertisement, the government has listed five properties, of which two belong to the underworld don.

One of the listed properties is Damarwala building (flat numbers 18-20, 25, 26, 28) at Pakmodia street in Bhendi Bazar area of south Mumbai.

Dawood’s brother Iqbal Kaskar, who was arrested recently, used to live in Damarwala building. The underworld don’s sister Haseena Parker also owns properties in this building.

One property frequented by the underworld don during his Mumbai days, Hotel Raunak Afroz. The hotel in the Bhendi Bazar is infamous for the fact that the fugitive used to hold all his meetings here.

The auction of the properties has been scheduled for November 14, and will be held in Churchgate area. The procedure would be through sealer tender and public auction.

This comes over a week after the Thane police slapped the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on Dawood’s brother Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar. Procuring bail under this act becomes a stringent task. The act has been imposed in connection with an alleged extortion racket. A Thane based builder was allegedly extorted of Rs 30 lakh and four flats.

During investigation following his arrest, Iqbal Kaskar has told the investigators that Dawood will not be able to return to India even if he wishes to as Pakistan’s spy agency ISI would not let him. He had said that Dawood wanted to return to India.

In 2015, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani had claimed to have met Dawood Ibrahim in London, where the underworld don had told him that he was willing to return to India.

Jethamalani had said that Dawood was ready to return to India and be placed under house arrest during the trial, as he feared he would be bumped off in jail.

Jethamalani had said that Dawood told him that he was not involved in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and wanted a guarantee from Indian authorities for his return that he will not be subjected to third-degree torture by the police during his detention.