Bidder of Rs 1.17 Crore for HR88B8888 Number Plate Faces Government Asset Investigation

'HR88B8888' number plate will undergo reauction following payment failure.

After bidding Rs 1.17 crore for India's most expensive number plate 'HR88B8888' and failing to complete payment, Sudhir Kumar now faces serious consequences as the Haryana government initiates an investigation into his financial assets.

Haryana Transport Minister Anil Vij has directed his department to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the assets and income of Sudhir Kumar, who serves as Director of Romulus Solutions Private Limited, a transportation service company.

In his statement to media outlets, Vij explained, "We provide VIP number plates through auction processes. Multiple individuals placed bids for the number '8888'. However, after securing the auction with the highest bid, the bidder (Sudhir Kumar) failed to remit the amount and instead allowed his security deposit of Rs 11,000 to be forfeited."

The minister has requested verification of whether Kumar possesses a net worth equivalent to Rs 1.17 crore, the amount he bid for the prestigious number plate.

Minister Vij indicated that he plans to contact the Income Tax Department to request an investigation. This measure aims to prevent bidders from artificially inflating number plate costs without having the financial means to follow through.

"Participating in auctions is not merely a recreational activity but carries responsibility," Vij emphasized.

The coveted number plate will now be subject to a fresh auction.

When 'HR88B8888' achieved the status of India's most expensive number plate on November 26, it attracted significant media attention after being auctioned for Rs 1.17 crore.

The auction garnered 45 applications with bidding starting at a base price of Rs 50,000.

While December 1 marked the payment deadline, Sudhir Kumar failed to complete the transaction for reasons that remain unclear.

On Sunday, Kumar claimed he attempted to submit the bid amount twice on Saturday evening but encountered technical difficulties. He also revealed that his family opposed spending such a substantial sum on a vehicle registration number.

"Family discussions are ongoing. Elderly family members believe allocating such a significant amount for a number plate is unwise, though I support the purchase. We intend to reach a final decision by Monday," Kumar stated.

Haryana conducts weekly online auctions for specialty and VIP number plates. Between Friday 5 pm and Monday 9 am, interested parties can submit applications for their preferred numbers. The bidding process continues until Wednesday 5 pm when results are announced. The entire auction is conducted online through the official fancy.parivahan.gov.in portal.

The HR88B8888 plate holds special significance as a premium vehicle registration number available through competitive bidding.

In this designation, HR represents the state code indicating Haryana registration, 88 identifies the specific Regional Transport Office (RTO) or district within Haryana, B serves as the vehicle series code for that RTO, and 8888 constitutes the unique four-digit registration number assigned to the vehicle.

What makes this particular number plate exceptionally desirable is its visual appearance as a continuous sequence of eights, since the uppercase 'B' resembles the number eight, creating what appears to be a string of identical digits.