Mumbai blasts conspirator Tiger Memon's properties, including plot valued at Rs 400 cr, to be auctioned

Properties owned by Tiger Memon, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and his family are to be auctioned by central authorities, according to a PTI report citing an official. The planned sale includes a flat in Mahim that was used as a meeting point to plan the devastating attacks.

The Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act Authority (SAFEMA) is preparing to sell eight seized properties after completing their valuation. A senior official reportedly indicated that the legal formalities are nearing completion, with the auction process expected to commence as early as December or January.

The properties due for the hammer include three flats within the Al Husseini building in Mahim, which once housed Tiger Memon, his five brothers and their mother.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, one of the conspiracy meetings for the 1993 blasts was conducted in one of these family flats. The flats, located on the fifth and sixth floors, were seized by agencies 34 years ago and were only opened this past April.

Tiger Memon has been absconding since the March 12, 1993 bombings, which killed 257 people across 12 locations in Mumbai and is widely believed to be in Pakistan. His brother, Yakub Memon, was executed in 2015 for his role in the conspiracy. Other family members received varying prison sentences from a special TADA court.

The official told PTI that SAFEMA had received details of 17 properties from the special court. While possession of eight has been secured, four remain entangled in litigation. The process to take possession of a further five is currently underway.

Among the most significant assets is a 10,000-square-metre land parcel in Vakola's Kole Kalyan area, estimated to be worth Rs 400 crore. However, SAFEMA has yet to gain control of this valuable plot, which has been encroached upon and is situated between two buildings.

The authority is also working to secure possession of a property in the prime Zaveri Bazar locality. Additional properties slated for future auction include a flat in Bandra, two flats in Kurla's Kapadia Nagar and four shops in south Mumbai's Manish Market, the latter jointly owned by Tiger Memon and Mohammad Dosa and subject to a pending legal appeal.