Costliest vehicle number HR 88 B 8888 to be re-auctioned after bidder fails to pay Rs 1.17 crore

What was tipped as the costliest vehicle registration number is set to be re-auctioned by the transport authorities after the winner of the bid failed to pay the amount within the stipulated time — till today noon.

The Transport Department official confirmed that the winner of the bid for the fancy number HR 88 B 8888 — belonging to Badhra subdivision in Charkhi Dadri district which fetched the highest bid of Rs 1.17 crore in the auction that closed last Wednesday — had not paid the bid amount. Therefore, the security deposit of Rs 10,000 has been forfeited. Now, this number will be reauctioned in the auction process starting tomorrow, said the official.

Sudhir Kumar, a resident of Hisar, had won the bid.

The number plate HR 88 B 8888 created a flutter across the country when it went up to 1.17 crore in the online bid, which had 45 participants. The auction is conducted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on its web portal https://fancy.parivahan.gov.in/fancy/faces/public/show_final_result.xhtml.

The base price for the bid was fixed at Rs 50,000, which will remain unchanged during the next auction as well. A deposit of Rs 10,000 as security money and Rs 1,000 as registration fee is required to participate in the bid for fancy numbers. The auction for VIP/fancy numbers is held every week, and each bid closes on Wednesday at 5pm.