NEW DELHI, Mar 19: Four land parcels belonging to the notorious underworld don smuggler-terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, now in Pakistan, have finally been auctioned in the fifth attempt by the government since 2017.
Nestled in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, the land parcels found a buyer after four failed attempts. In an auction conducted by the Central Government this month, a bidder from Mumbai placed the highest bid for one of the land parcels at over Rs 10 lakh, priced more than the cost of other three land parcels combined.
Leader of the D-Company crime syndicate, Dawood Ibrahim emerged as India’s most wanted man after the 1993 Mumbai bombings in which 257 people were killed and 700 were injured.
The auction was conducted under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA), a process that advanced the long-stalled sale of these properties. All four plots are located in Mumbake village in the Ratnagiri district, considered to be Dawood Ibrahim’s ancestral village. According to officials, several of these plots were previously registered in the name of his mother, Amina Bi.
While the identity of bidders has not been disclosed, an individual from Mumbai is reported to have placed the highest bid for one of the land parcels – Survey Number 442 (Part 13-B) – buying it for over Rs 10 lakh. Its reserve price was Rs 9.41 lakh. Two individuals placed bids for this plot-one from Mumbai and the other from Ratnagiri.
For the remaining three properties – Survey Numbers 533, 453, and 617 – a single bidder emerged, fulfilling the stipulated conditions and successfully acquiring them. The land parcels carried reserve prices of Rs 2.33 lakh, Rs 8.08 lakh and Rs 15,440 respectively. All four land parcels went to the Mumbai-based bidder.
As per the regulations, the bidder is required to complete the payment by early April 2026. The transaction will be subject to final confirmation by the competent authority. Once approved, the forfeiture and disposal process will follow. The four land parcels were a part of the Kaskar family’s ancestral holdings, which were attached in the 1990s and later forfeited to the Central government under SAFEMA.
Efforts were made in 2017, 2020, 2024, and 2025 to auction these properties, but didn’t bear any result due to lack of participation from bidders. In November 2025, despite a reduction of approximately 30 per cent in the reserve price, no buyers came forward. According to sources, people steered clear of these properties primarily due to their association with the names of Dawood and the ‘D-Company.’ Their remote location, restrictions limiting their use solely to agriculture, and the lack of any immediate, substantial financial returns also contributed to the lack of interest.
Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Shrivastav’s name has frequently featured in discussions surrounding the auction of properties linked to Dawood. In 2001, he purchased two units in Mumbai’s Nagpada area, but he is yet to obtain possession of them, and the matter remains pending before the Bombay High Court.
In 2020, he acquired Dawood’s ancestral bungalow in Mumbake village and announced plans to establish a trust there. Subsequently, in 2024, he placed a bid of Rs 2.01 crore for a small plot (Survey Number 617), despite its reserve price being a mere Rs 15,440. The deal was cancelled due to the non-payment of dues.
(Manas Dasgupta)
