Businessman picks up Dubai’s costliest number plate D5 for $8.98 mln

An Indian businessman based in Dubai, Balwinder Sahni, made waves in the local media on Saturday, by winning the distinguished Dubai number plate D5 for $8.98 million (Dh33 million).

Sahni, also known as Abu Sabah, also spent $272,000 for another number plate at the same auction.

The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) had organized the auction at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel and there were 80 number plates sold that evening.

For Sahni, who was born and raised in Kuwait, the plate number D5, numerologically speaking, represents number 9, which he considers lucky for him.

2015 auction

Last year too, he had participated in the Sheikha Haya Charity Initiative, paying $6.53 million (Dh24 million) for the vehicle number plate 09.

As to the D5 number plate, his latest prized acquisition and RTA’s biggest draw in the organisation’s auction history, Sahni told journalists that it will go on his Rolls Royce.

Sahni is Chairman and CEO of RSG International, with its focus on property development in the UAE, Kuwait, India and the US.

In Dubai, the company made its mark by launching its first residential project, the $123 million (Dh450 million) Qasr Sabah, located in the International Media and Production Zone (IMPZ), which was completed ahead of schedule in September 2015.

The group, with its roots in Kuwait, has its foundation in a modest family business of Automotive Spare Parts. Business growth led the organization to diversify across sectors, Real Estate, Industrial Equipment, Investments and Property Development.