Middle East: A businessman in the United Arab Emirates had paid a whopping Rs 33.3 crore at a public auction held recently for a license plate with the number 1 on it.
According to a report published in The Independent, Arif Ahmed Al Zarouni, a saudi business man paid 18 million Emirati Dirham, which is about Rs 33.3 crore for a number 1 plate in the UAE.
He told media, “I attended the license plate auction only to win number 1. My ambition is always to be number 1.” He said, he plans to keep it, rather than try to resell it.
He has yet not revealed the name of car that will be registered to the number plate , said officials.
In the United Arab Emirates, the license plates are auctioned off by the state, and the third-largest emirate Sharjah is responsible for auctioning off the number ‘1’ license plate at a record breaking price.
At the same Emirates Auction , other popular numbers sold on included 12, 22, 50, 100, 333, 777, 1000, 2016, 2020 and 99999.
But it was the number 1 which attracted the most attention, and bidding for it quickly rose from its reserved price.
Al Zarouni bid was 18 times the reserve price but still he was not the one who paid highest sum for a number plate in the UAE.
He may be number 1 in Sharjah, but this valuable honour goes to the then-25-year-old businessman Saeed al-Khouri, who paid record price of Rs 94.7 crore.
Money from the auction was donated to charities including one that supported a hospital specializing in treating the victims of road accidents, said officials.
