Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Britain's 'biggest hoarder' Ramann Shukla's collection include rare photos and letters of Gandhi

BRITAIN's 'biggest hoarder' Ramann Shukla's,64, more than 60,000 rare items will now go up for auction with Unique Auctions between October 22 and 25.

The collection includes signed photos and letters relating to John F Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Elvis Presley, more than 6,000 vintage comics, 3,000 chemistry sets and 12 Rickenbacker guitars.


The entire collection is valued between £500,000 and £4 million ($5.2 million), and will be auctioned in no fewer than 3,000 lots.

Shukla was reportedly a computer programmer and lived in Nottingham, central England before his sudden death earlier this year.

According to reports, his three-bed home, rental flat, two garages, neighbour's garden and 24 wheelie bins were used to store items.

The trove, which crammed every room of Shukla's properties from floor to ceiling, was discovered by his brother.

"His first impression was to put them in landfill. But thankfully he decided to call us in," chief auctioneer Terry Woodcock of Unique Auctions in Lincoln said in a video on the company's website.

He said eight staff from the auction house took 12 days to empty the main house, and there was still more to be removed from the other properties.

Shukla had been amassing items via eBay since at least 2008, Woodcock said.

"It was clear that this man was a total compulsive buyer," he said.

His collection mostly consisted of unopened parcels and was so vast that he had to move into a bed and breakfast for the last year of his life because he ran out of room for himself, reports said.

It is thought he started it about 18 years ago with the intention of selling it all one day to fund his retirement.

Shukla's neighbours said that a Royal Mail van filled to the brim with parcels visited the address once a week without fail.

More For You

Southport stabbings: Teenager  denies charges in court

Southport murder suspect Axel Rudakubana appears via video link at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Britain, October 30, 2024, in this courtroom sketch.

Julia Quenzler/Handout via REUTERS.

Southport stabbings: Teenager  denies charges in court

A British teenager had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, on Wednesday (18) did not speak when asked at Liverpool Crown Court if he was guilty or not guilty of killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the town of Southport.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gisele-Pelicot-Getty

This court-sketch made on December 19 shows Gisele Pelicot during the hearing of the verdict of the court that sentenced her ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail. (Photo: Getty Images)

Dominique Pelicot sentenced to 20 years for organising mass rapes of ex-wife

A FRENCH court sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison on Thursday for orchestrating and committing the mass rapes of his former wife, Gisele Pelicot.

Pelicot, who had admitted to drugging his wife over nearly a decade to enable assaults by strangers he recruited online, was convicted by the criminal court in Avignon after a trial lasting more than three months.

Keep ReadingShow less
water-supply-iStock

Southern Water, which requested the highest rise at 83 per cent, will increase bills by 53 per cent. (Representational image: iStock)

Water bills to rise by 36 per cent to address infrastructure issues

WATER regulator Ofwat has announced that household water bills will increase by an average of 36 per cent over the next five years to fund major improvements in the country’s water infrastructure.

This move aims to address long-standing issues in the privatised water sector, including sewage spills and ageing systems.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mumbai-boat-capsize-Reuters

A military helicopter flies over a ferry during a rescue operation after a passenger boat capsized off the coast of Mumbai. (Photo: Reuters)

13 dead as Indian Navy speedboat collides with ferry near Mumbai

THIRTEEN people have died after an Indian Navy speedboat collided with a ferry near Mumbai during engine trials, authorities said on Wednesday.

Maharashtra state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed the fatalities and said over 100 people had been rescued.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bank of England
The Bank of England building is seen surrounded by flowers in London. (Photo: Reuters)

Bank of England likely to hold interest rates at 4.75 per cent

THE BANK OF ENGLAND is expected to maintain its interest rate at 4.75 per cent on Thursday, even as the economy shows signs of slowing. Persistent inflation pressures are likely to prompt the central bank to stick to a "gradual" approach before reducing borrowing costs.

A Reuters poll of 71 economists unanimously predicted no change in rates for now. Most anticipate a quarter-point cut on 6 February, followed by three additional cuts by the end of 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less