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Indore beggar owns 3 homes, auto-rickshaws, a car; Family says false claims
A beggar in Indore was found during an anti-beggary drive to allegedly own multiple houses, autorickshaws, while seeking alms.
Three houses, three autorikshaws and a chauffeur-driven car, these are the belongings of a leprosy afflicted begger in Indore, who moves around seeking alms from people.
A 50-year-old man in Indore has reportedly amassed property worth several lakh rupees by seeking alms, news agency PTI reported. However, the episode took an unexpected turn when a close relative of the beggar dismissed the administration's claim as false, saying they had some "misunderstanding".
Anti-beggar drive led to him
The man was discovered by officials in Indore during an anti-beggary drive. They were stunned to find the man who pushes himself on a wheeled board, seeking alms, also silently lends lakhs in the famed bullion market, the report said.
Owns 3 houses, a car and loans money
As per the report, Women and Child Development Department official Dinesh Mishra said a leprosy patient was rescued from the Sarafa area following information from local residents.
Mishra informed that the man owns 3 houses, including a three-story building. Additionally, Mishra said that he also owns a car in which he goes along with a hired driver. “This man, suffering from leprosy, begs from a wheeled cart,” Mishra was quoted as saying.
Earns from interests on loans and begging
The beggar has reportedly been begging since 2021-2022, and has lent ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh to people in the bullion market, from which he charges daily interest. The officer explained, "He earns ₹1,000 to 2,000 per day from this interest. In addition, he receives ₹400 to 500 daily in alms."
Family says ‘false claims’
As the case of the beggar spread, his nephew told reporters that the three-storey house, mentioned by the authorities, is actually in his mother's name. “False claims are being made about my uncle's (the beggar's) properties,” he was quoted as saying.
He further said that the 3-story house is registered in his mother's name, and the nephew pays instalments.
Regarding the ownership of another house, the nephew said that his uncle is locked in a dispute with a person.
The nephew also said his uncle told him he used to go there (Sarafa Bazaar) to collect this money, and due to some misunderstanding, his photographs were circulated as a beggar."
Meanwhile, authorities say legal action will be taken once facts are verified in the case. District Magistrate Shivam Verma told PTI that Indore is a "beggar-free city," and campaigns are launched to rehabilitate the destitute.
Rupali Jain, president of Pravesh, an NGO working to eradicate beggary, said the case of this leprosy-afflicted man should be viewed from a humanitarian perspective, claiming he did not amass his alleged wealth of millions of rupees by begging.
She explained that the man used to work as a mason a few years ago, but was unable to continue after suffering severe damage to his fingers and feet due to leprosy. Facing social and family discrimination, he began begging at night near the famous Chaat Chowpatty, a popular night food market, in the Sarafa area, she said. "We tried to convince this man twice in the last four years to stop begging. He did stop the practice for a while, but later went back to it," Jain said.
