AK-47 license plate sold for $1,700

JAMMU, India, April 27 (UPI) -- A man in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir paid nearly $1,700 at an open auction for the right to use a license plate reading AK-47, an official says.

Ramesh Chander Sharma, the regional transport officer at Jammu, said Mohmmad Rafiq Mir offered a top bid of $1,694 at an auction during the weekend, the Press Trust of India reported Sunday.

"Around 35 people showed up for (the auction)," Sharma said.

Mir, who lives in the state's Poonch district, expressed happiness at garnering the right to don his vehicle with the license plate number that refers to a Soviet assault rifle.

"I am happy to get the figure as I am crazy about it (AK-47)," Mir told the Press Trust.