This Crorepati Beggar In Indore Has 3 Homes, 3 Auto-Rickshaws, Dzire Car

He sits on an iron cart with ball-bearing wheels. With a backpack on his shoulders and his hands inside a pair of shoes, he pushes himself across the Sarafa Bazaar, a bustling market in Indore. He doesn't ask passersby for alms but sits in a way that encourages people to drop a coin or a note in support of the poor man. He is Mangilal, a physically disabled crorepati who has three homes, including a government-allocated house in his name, three auto-rickshaws, and a Maruti Suzuki Dzire car.

The revelation came during an anti-begging drive by the Women and Child Development Department, part of Indore's ongoing campaign to make the city beggar-free. When the rescue team picked up Mangilal late Saturday night, acting on information that he was a leprosy patient begging regularly in Sarafa, they expected another routine case. Instead, they stumbled upon a financial plot twist worthy of a marketplace legend.

For years, Mangilal had mastered the art of silent solicitation. He never asked. He sat on his iron cart. Sympathy did the rest. People gave willingly. Daily earnings from alms alone ranged between Rs 400 and Rs 500.

But the real business, investigators say, began after dark.

During questioning, Mangilal admitted that the money collected from begging was not spent on survival, but invested right back into Sarafa. He lent cash to local traders for a day or a week, charging interest that he personally collected every evening. Officials estimate he has loaned out Rs 4-5 lakh, earning Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a day, including interest.

The man, once seen as penniless, it turns out, owns three houses in prime localities, including a three-storey building, three auto-rickshaws rented out daily, and a Maruti Suzuki Dzire car, which he reportedly also rents instead of driving. He even received a one-bedroom, hall, kitchen (1BHK) unit under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) due to his disability, despite already owning multiple properties.

According to Dinesh Mishra, Women and Child Development Officer and nodal officer of the rescue operation, Mangilal has now been shifted to Sevadham Ashram in Ujjain. His bank accounts and properties are under investigation, and traders who borrowed money from him will also be questioned.

Speaking in detail about the operation and its findings, Mishra said, "During questioning, Mangilal admitted that he used the money he received from begging to lend to some traders in the Sarafa area at interest. He would lend money for a day or a week and would come to the Sarafa area daily to collect the interest."

Detailing the operation, Mishra added, "On Saturday, at 10 PM, the rescue team received information that a man named Mangilal, who begs for alms in the Sarafa area almost every week, is a leprosy patient. The rescue team, after careful planning, waited outside from 9 PM to 10 PM and rescued him. After the rescue, when information was gathered about him, it was discovered that Mangilal owns three houses, one of which is a three-story building, and the other two are single-story houses, all located in a good area. He also owns three auto-rickshaws, which he rents out. He owns a Maruti Suzuki Dzire car, which he uses for transportation."

Mangilal has been begging since 2021-22. He is currently being kept in a shelter house. Further information is being gathered about him, and a complete report has been prepared and presented to the Collector. Action will be taken according to further instructions, Mishra added.

The case has added an unexpected chapter to Indore's anti-begging campaign, launched in February 2024. An official survey identified around 6,500 beggars in the city. So far, 4,500 have given up begging after counselling, 1,600 have been rescued and sent to rehabilitation centres, and 172 children have been enrolled in schools.

As Sarafa's shop shutters rolled down on Sunday, traders whispered about the man who came seeking coins but left counting interest. In a market famous for turning metal into money, Mangilal's story has revealed how pity can sometimes become the most profitable business of all.