As many as 12 high-end vehicles that have been seized from conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, who is now lodged in jail in Delhi, will be auctioned in Bengaluru on November 28 to recover the dues he owes to various institutions.
These vehicles were seized from various places by Income Tax Department officials, who investigated the financial transactions of Sukesh. He is accused of committing fraud on the wives of former promoters of Ranbaxy of ₹200 crore by promising to secure bail for the company’s promoters. He is accused of impersonating a Law Ministry official to cheat the women. He is also facing investigation by the Enforcement Department for laundering money.
Among the vehicles that will be auctioned are 11 four-wheelers — BMW M-5, Range Rover, Jaguar XKR Coupe, Innova Crysta, Nissan Teana, Porsche, Toyota Fortuner, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Toyota Prade — and cruiser bike Ducati Diavel. The reserve price for vehicles ranges from ₹2.03 lakh for Nissan Teana to ₹1.74 crore for Rolls Royce.
Department sources familiar with the auction said the vehicle auction was part of the recovery process that it had initiated against Sukesh to recover certificate of debt, dues of which total ₹308.48 crore as of November 10 for the financial years 2012-2013 to 2018-2019. The vehicles were seized in 2018 from various parts of the country, including Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and had been brought to Bengaluru. “These vehicles were in good condition and drivers were hired to bring them to Bengaluru. The online auction will be held on November 28.”
Meanwhile, as the department opened up the vehicles for inspection on Wednesday, a number of prospective bidders made a beeline for its office here to check their condition and enquire about the bidding process. A department official said the inspection was open for two more days, and that they were expecting more people to turn up.
