Ambala: The man who bid ₹1.17 crore for India’s costliest number plate ‘HR88B8888’ and then failed to pay has now landed in deep trouble. The Haryana government will now investigate Sudhir Kumar’s assets.
State Transport Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said that during a recent online auction for the vehicle number HR 88 B 8888, an individual placed the highest bid of ₹1 crore 17 lakh.
Vij has ordered his department to thoroughly probe the assets and income of Sudhir Kumar, Director of transportation service Romulus Solutions Private Limited.
"We offer VIP number plates via auction. Several people bid for the number '8888'. However, after winning the auction by placing the highest bid, the bidder (Sudhir Kumar) did not pay the amount. Instead, he let his security deposit of ₹11,000 be forfeited," Vij said.
Vij has directed his department to check if Kumar has a net worth of ₹1.17 crore, the bidding amount for the VIP number plate.
A total of 45 bidders participated in the auction for the VIP number plate. After placing the bid, the bidder allowed his security amount to be forfeited. As per the process, a bidder has to deposit ₹10,000 as security and ₹1,000 as registration fees, while the base price is fixed at ₹50,000.
The minister stated that he will write to the Income Tax Department, requesting them to investigate. It is to prevent bidders from increasing the cost of a number plate without financial ability. "Bidding in auctions is not a hobby, it's a responsibility," Vij said.
The number plate will soon be re-auctioned. The deadline to deposit the ₹1.17 crore bid was 12 p.m. on 1 December.
