Fugitive Indian underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim’s hotel in Mumbai – Hotel Delhi Zaika – was bought by former journalist S Balakrishnan in an auction by the government, according to a report by India Today.
The auction was carried out by a private firm at Hotel Diplomat in South Mumbai under Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Properties) Act, 1976.
The property had three major contenders – former journalist S Balakrishnan, a Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Shrivastava and president of Hindu Mahasabha Swami Chakrapani.
My NGO wants this property (eatery on Pakmodia) to help underprivileged women and children of Bhendi Bazar to learn computers. This will help the people in society and give a strong message to gangsters like Dawood that Indians are not afraid from him and he can no longer unleash terror in the country.S Balakrishnan, Chairman, Desh Seva Samiti
The restaurant is located close to Dawood’s house in Dambarwala building. Ibrahim’s younger brother Iqbal Kaskar resides there.
Earlier, Balakrishnan had filed a complaint with the police saying that Dawood’s right-hand man Chhota Shakeel had threatened him against bidding for the property.
The eatery, earlier hotel Rounak Afroz, was priced at Rs 1.18 crore.
A Hyundai Accent, also up for auction, (MH-04-AX-3676) was priced at Rs 15,700.
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