NEW DELHI: Fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s car, which was sold at an auction in Mumbai earlier this month, will be burnt publicly in Ghaziabad near Delhi on Wednesday, NDTV said.

The man who bought the car, Swami Chakrapani, told Press Trust of India over the phone from Delhi, “Our organisation has decided to burn the car publicly at Indrapuram in Ghaziabad between 1 pm to 2 pm.”

“Burning the car would be symbolic of conducting the last rites of the terrorism that Dawood and his henchmen spread in the country, especially in Mumbai,” added Mr Chakrapani, who claims to be the national president of ‘All India Hindu Mahasabha’.

At an auction of Dawood’s properties held in Mumbai on Dec 9, Mr Chakrapani bid successfully for the green Hyundai Accent car for a mere Rs 32,000.

“Earlier I wanted to covert the car into an ambulance, but when D-company’s (Dawood gang’s) henchmen threatened me to be ready to face the consequences, I decided to give a reply to him in his own language. I am going to torch it in full public view,” he said.

The car, which is in a battered condition, was transported to Delhi from Mumbai a few days ago.

Mr Chakrapani said he didn’t need any security as he was not afraid of threats, though he filed a complaint with Mandir Marg police in Delhi on Dec 11 after receiving the threat calls.

Dawood Ibrahim is wanted in India for the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed nearly a thousand injured. He is also accused of masterminding other terror attacks and of money laundering and extortion, NDTV said.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2015