AK (00) 47 bought by Baba Budha Dal sect head for scooter, likely to shift it to a Rolls-Royce
Chandigarh, October 7
Secret agent James Bond 007 outshined the local charm for AK 47 and AK 56, the lethal weapons that reverberated in the region during the dark days of militancy, at the auction of the new CH 04 AK series of vehicle registration numbers at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA), Chandigarh. The secret agent’s number fetched the highest bid amount of Rs 4.21 lakh compared to Rs 3.20 lakh paid for AK 47 (CH 04 AK 0047) and a mere Rs 10,000 (reserve price) for AK 56 (CH 04 AK 0056).
What is interesting is that the numbers AK (00) 47 and AK (00) 56, both of which symbolised the world’s most widely used assault rifle by armies, policemen and terrorists alike the world over, has been bought by the head of the Baba Budha Dal sect. Equally interesting is the fact that the number will figure on a scooter, rather than a fancy car. But then, it is widely believed that the number will eventually be transferred to a Rolls Royce.
Interestingly, the vanity number 0001, which has often witnessed the highest bidding in the past, fetched Rs 3.10 lakh, even lesser than 0005 that fetched Rs 3.25 lakh for the licensing authority.
The proud owner of the number 0007, Amrit Pal Singh, a Ludhiana-based proprietor of White Tiger Build Cons, said he was ready to pay any amount to clinch his favourite number. Amrit Pal owns a fleet of high-end swanky cars, including a Bentley, a Rolls-Royce and a Range Rover SUV, all bearing either 0007 or 0001 as registration numbers.
Until the moment when the vanity vehicle registration numbers were put under the hammer, AK 0047 was being considered as the most-sought-after number by the bidders. But the charm for the debonair James Bond number turned the tables on the Kalashnikovs. There were 10 bidders for 0007 and only five for AK 0047. Interestingly, the highest bidder for both numbers said they were ready to pay any cost to own the numbers.
While 0007 number would bedeck the Kyan model of a swanky Porsche, AK 0047 would reportedly enhance the beauty of first a scooter followed by a Rolls Royce. “The car is being readied as the work to make it ‘bulletproof’ is on in a foreign country,” said a close associate of ‘Baba Ji’, who presently was in Nanded Sahib to participate in a nagar kirtan. But when contacted by Chandigarh Tribune, Baba Balbir Singh categorically denied any such development, sayin he was not buying any swanky car. “The number (AK47) has been procured for a scooter. I am not buying any car,” said Baba Balbir Singh.
When asked why he chose AK 0047 and AK 0056, Baba Balbir Singh said laughingly, “Koi khaas vajah taan nahi hai. Eh dono number shaster naal sambandhit hain, te shaster Singhi di nishaani hai (There was no particular purpose. Both these numbers belong to arms and arms are symbols of Sikhs)”. He added that he already had another AK 0047 number from Patiala for his Hero Honda motorcycle.
Chandigarh, October 7
Secret agent James Bond 007 outshined the local charm for AK 47 and AK 56, the lethal weapons that reverberated in the region during the dark days of militancy, at the auction of the new CH 04 AK series of vehicle registration numbers at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA), Chandigarh. The secret agent’s number fetched the highest bid amount of Rs 4.21 lakh compared to Rs 3.20 lakh paid for AK 47 (CH 04 AK 0047) and a mere Rs 10,000 (reserve price) for AK 56 (CH 04 AK 0056).
What is interesting is that the numbers AK (00) 47 and AK (00) 56, both of which symbolised the world’s most widely used assault rifle by armies, policemen and terrorists alike the world over, has been bought by the head of the Baba Budha Dal sect. Equally interesting is the fact that the number will figure on a scooter, rather than a fancy car. But then, it is widely believed that the number will eventually be transferred to a Rolls Royce.
Interestingly, the vanity number 0001, which has often witnessed the highest bidding in the past, fetched Rs 3.10 lakh, even lesser than 0005 that fetched Rs 3.25 lakh for the licensing authority.
The proud owner of the number 0007, Amrit Pal Singh, a Ludhiana-based proprietor of White Tiger Build Cons, said he was ready to pay any amount to clinch his favourite number. Amrit Pal owns a fleet of high-end swanky cars, including a Bentley, a Rolls-Royce and a Range Rover SUV, all bearing either 0007 or 0001 as registration numbers.
Until the moment when the vanity vehicle registration numbers were put under the hammer, AK 0047 was being considered as the most-sought-after number by the bidders. But the charm for the debonair James Bond number turned the tables on the Kalashnikovs. There were 10 bidders for 0007 and only five for AK 0047. Interestingly, the highest bidder for both numbers said they were ready to pay any cost to own the numbers.
While 0007 number would bedeck the Kyan model of a swanky Porsche, AK 0047 would reportedly enhance the beauty of first a scooter followed by a Rolls Royce. “The car is being readied as the work to make it ‘bulletproof’ is on in a foreign country,” said a close associate of ‘Baba Ji’, who presently was in Nanded Sahib to participate in a nagar kirtan. But when contacted by Chandigarh Tribune, Baba Balbir Singh categorically denied any such development, sayin he was not buying any swanky car. “The number (AK47) has been procured for a scooter. I am not buying any car,” said Baba Balbir Singh.
When asked why he chose AK 0047 and AK 0056, Baba Balbir Singh said laughingly, “Koi khaas vajah taan nahi hai. Eh dono number shaster naal sambandhit hain, te shaster Singhi di nishaani hai (There was no particular purpose. Both these numbers belong to arms and arms are symbols of Sikhs)”. He added that he already had another AK 0047 number from Patiala for his Hero Honda motorcycle.
0001: No more charmer this time
- The sheen of 0001 was apparently diminished in today’s auction as it remained at the fourth spot as far as the maximum bidding amount on the vanity numbers was concerned.
- The vanity number, which had brought in the highest Rs 10 lakh last year and Rs 7.5 lakh during last auction in July, fetched a ‘mere’ Rs 3.10 lakh today. The number was reportedly procured by Rajiv Goyal, chairman, Surya Pharmaceuticals, for his Rolls Royce Phantom car.
- The CH04 AK 0005 brought in Rs 3.25, the second highest amount in bidding. The numbers 0002 and 0003 fetched Rs 2.32 lakh and 2.65 lakh, respectively.
- The 0007 number was the most-sought number today as 10 bidders were present in the RLA office, whereas only five out of the eligible nine bidders turned up for AK 47 number. For number 0001, there were six bidders only. In CH04 AJ series, the 0007 number had gone for just Rs 2.9 lakh.
- Rolls Royce Phantom price is Rs 3.5 crore, while Porche Kyan is nearly Rs 70 lakh.
Registration & Licencing Authority got Rs 48 lakhThe Registration and Licensing Authority, UT, Chandigarh, earned a total of Rs 48,02,100 from the auction at which 93 registration numbers for the ‘CH01-AK’ series were sold. This is around Rs 9 lakh more than the earnings from the last auction when a total of 91 numbers (just two numbers less) of the CH 04 AJ series were auctioned.
Courtesy: TNS
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