Fugitive former liquor baron Vijay Mallya's two helicopters have been bought by a Delhi-based aviation company for over Rs 8 crore.
According to reports, Delhi-based Choudhary Aviation Facilities Ltd purchased the two helicopters owned by Mallya in an e-auction conducted by the Debt Recovery Tribunal. The Tribunal, however, did not inform the media about the e-auction.
"Our company bought the two personal copters of Mallya for Rs 8.75 crore at the price of Rs 4.37 crore each in the electronic bidding conducted by the DRT in Bengaluru," Choudhary Aviation Director Satyendra Sehrawat told IANS.
The Tribunal held the e-auction on behalf of a consortium of 17 banks which filed the case in 2013 against Mallya and his defunct Kingfisher Airlines Ltd for defaulting on loans borrowed from 2007-2012.
"Though the 5-seater Airbus Eurocopter B155 choppers are 10-year-old, they are in a serviceable condition, with a good dual engine and are currently parked at Juhu airport in Mumbai," said Sehrawat.
Three firms participated in the auction, held with minimum bid price of Rs 1.75 crore for each copter of model 2008, last flown in 2013.
"We want to make use of the choppers for commercial activity, including chartered service," Sehrawat noted.
The 3-year-old firm also provides ground operations and air ambulance service to hospitals in the national capital region (NCR).
(With inputs from IANS)