Dawood Ibrahim's property auction: Expected bidders fail to show up

Some of those who had milked the run-up for publicity, claiming to be part of the bidding war for the prime properties, failed to turn up. Swami Chakrapani, president of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha who had milked the hype surrounding the Dawood Ibrahim property auction, stating that he was going to build a public toilet after acquiring hotel Raunaq Afroz, was conspicuous by his absence yesterday. He had said the toilet would be "elegant and free of cost to the public", during the run-up to the auction. A call to the Swami evinced a curt answer. "I am in Lucknow," he said, before hanging up.

Swami Chakrapani at the auction two years ago. File Pic

Even Dr Indira Tiwari, the organisation's secretary general and "working president", as she calls herself, said over the phone, "We are not bidding for the properties. I am currently in Chitrakoot (MP). I was there for campaigning, helping the Congress candidate defeat BJP's in the Assembly bypoll." When asked why the Hindu Mahasabha was absent from the auction after shouting about being bidders, Tiwari waffled on about a "delay in deposition", which apparently resulted in them not making it for it. In 2015, when Dawood's hotel Raunaq Afroz had gone under the hammer at an auction in a Colaba hotel, the Swami and Dr Tiwari had created a saffron stir on arriving, with the former complete in orange robes.

Also view - Mumbai: 18 suicides that shocked the city