Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14: Like how fortune proverbially favours the reckless, it seems a billionaire has to only covet something and it comes to him dirt cheap. At the much-awaited auction of new 'CA' series of vehicle registration numbers, the fancy number KL-CA 01 was bid and won by M A Yusuff Ali for, hold your breath, just Rs 2,000.
Only three bidders participated in the auction held at the Thiruvananthapuram regional transport office last week for registration number KL 01. While Yusuff Ali -- managing director of LuLu Group International who features in Forbes India Rich List 2016 -- quoted Rs 2,000, the other bids were for Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000.
According to MVD officials, it was the cheapest amount quoted for the much sought-after registration number '01' in the recent past. The officials were expecting an impressive bidding for the series and thus more revenue for the department. Last year, KL 01 BX was auctioned at Rs 10.01 lakh and KL 01 BY at Rs 7.5 lakh. However, KL BZ 01 was auctioned for just Rs 6000.
In fact, those who bid after Yosuff Ali didn't share his luck -- CA 02 was auctioned for Rs 26,000 and CA 03 was auctioned for Rs 1.25 lakh. But, CA 05 could fetch only Rs 1,500 and CA 09 just Rs 1,000.
"As it was a fancy number and had good demand, we expected a minimum of Rs 10 lakh. But, we were surprised that the other contestants left the bid midway without offering higher quotes than Rs 2,000," said an MVD official.
Officials suspect the role of middlemen who, unknown to the bidders themselves, 'arrange' for under-pricing certain bids. While an original bidder like Yusuff Ali ends up paying a big amount, middlemen with help from low level-officials in MVD ensure that the fancy number concerned is auctioned for a very low amount, thus allowing them to pocket the rest of the money.
"The registered vehicle owners or their representatives may have made settlement before the bidding process begins. Similar suspicious cases have been reported elsewhere too, where a certain fancy number is auctioned at a far lower amount than expected. An enquiry will be conducted on suspicious cases in the auction process. With the launch of e-auction process the system will become transparent," said transport commissioner S Aanantha Krishnan.
When contacted, the office of Yusuff Ali said they are in the process of registering a few vehicles in Thiruvananthapuram RTO. The official said the company followed due process of law in all such deals and sought more time to provide exact details of the registration in question.
Also Read: This NRI business tycoon in Dubai buys number plate for Rs 60 crore!
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