Bungalow, 12 other Dawood Ibrahim properties to go under the hammer

These properties, some of which were owned by Dawood’s family, were forfeited by SAFEMA in 1998.

Thirteen properties owned by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, including his home in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, will go under the hammer under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA).

Officials told The Indian Express that the Finance Ministry’s office of Competent Authority is at an advanced stage of valuing the properties, which include Dawood’s two-storey bungalow where he was born in 1955, 11 parcels of land and a petrol pump, all located at Mumka, in Khed taluka of Ratnagiri. According to the records, the total area of these properties is over 10 acres.

“The valuation of the properties is at an advanced stage and the properties will be put up for auction by January,” said R N D’Souza, additional commissioner at SAFEMA.

These properties, some of which were owned by Dawood’s family, were forfeited by SAFEMA in 1998 — the Act provides for forfeiture of ill-gotten properties of smugglers, foreign exchange manipulators and their kith and kin. However, Dawood’s family had challenged the forfeiture of their properties at various legal forums. In April 2018, the Supreme Court dismissed appeals filed by Dawood’s mother Amina Bi Kaskar and sister Hasina Parker against the orders of confiscation, clearing the decks for confiscation and auction of the properties by SAFEMA.

The government has maintained that these properties of Dawood had been acquired using “undeclared and ill-gotten income” from his criminal activities. The underworld don is a designated global terrorist and wanted for several crimes including murder, extortion, targeted killing, drug trafficking and terrorism.

So far, SAFEMA has successfully auctioned at least four properties of Dawood and his family in Mumbai. In April, SAFEMA auctioned a residential apartment in South Mumbai, belonging to Haseena Parkar for Rs 1.80 crore. In 2017, the agency auctioned six flats in Dambarwala building, Hotel Raunaq Afroz on 33, Pakmodia Street, and Shabnam Guest House at Bhendi Bazar, the last known addresses of Dawood Ibrahim in Mumbai. While Shabnam Guest House was sold for Rs 3.05 crore, Dawood’s ancestral property, Dambarwala building, was auctioned at Rs 3.53 crore. Hotel Raunaq Afroz was auctioned at Rs 4.53 crore.

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