Watch: Man eats banana artwork he purchased for Rs 52 crore in auction
Hong Kong: Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who made headlines earlier for purchasing a banana taped to a wall — an artwork he bought for $6.2 million (Rs 52.4 crore), has now eaten the fruit.
Standing in front of journalists and influencers gathered at a luxury Hong Kong hotel on Friday, Sun devoured the pricey banana as he called the piece “iconic” and drew parallels between art and cryptocurrency.
“It's much better than other bananas. It's really quite good," Sun said after eating the fruit. Interestingly, each attendee at the event was given a banana and a roll of duct tape as a souvenir.
Sun outbid six competitors during a recent Sotheby’s auction to claim the piece. “This is not just an artwork,” he said earlier. “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and cryptocurrency community."
While Sun gulped down millions of dollars in a few seconds, the vendor who sold the banana for the auction expressed disappointment over not receiving a substantial amount from the viral artwork. According to a report in The New York Times, the banana was originally sold by Shah Alam, a 74-year-old fruit seller, to the artist.
Although the banana art was intended as satire, Alam remains baffled by how it fetched such an exorbitant price. “Those who bought it, what kind of people are they? Do they not know what a banana is?” he questioned.
许多朋友问我这根香蕉的味道如何。老实说，对于一根有如此故事的香蕉，味道自然和普通香蕉不一样。我品尝出了一种100年前大麦克香蕉的味道。🍌 pic.twitter.com/ddo8pEjatx
— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
1,850 missing mobile phones recovered as Delhi Police focusses on victim-centric policing
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.
The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.
The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.
