Indore: In a startling revelation during Indore’s ongoing campaign to eradicate begging, a differently-abled man long seen seeking alms in the bustling Sarafa market, has been exposed as a millionaire with assets worth crores.
Mangilal, who moves around by dragging himself on a wooden cart fitted with wheels, was rescued on Saturday by the Women and Child Development Department team under the “Beggar-free Indore” initiative.
Officials were left astonished upon discovering the true extent of his wealth.
Mangilal, who never actively solicited alms but received Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 daily from sympathetic passersby who voluntarily handed him money, had amassed significant property and investments, officials said.
According to officials, he owns three houses across the city – including a three-storey building in Bhagat Singh Nagar, a 600 sq ft home in Shiv Nagar, and a one-bedroom flat in Alwasa received under the PMAY scheme through the Red Cross Society due to his disability.
Additionally, he possesses a car (complete with a personal driver) and three auto-rickshaws. Far from being destitute, Mangilal had turned his daily collections into a thriving side business: lending money at high interest to small traders and jewellery shopkeepers in the Sarafa area.
He visited the market regularly, not just to beg, but to collect interest payments from these borrowers.
The rescue team had prior information about him and had attempted to approach him multiple times, but he would vanish upon spotting officials – until Saturday’s successful operation in the Sarafa market.
The district administration’s intensive drive, part of a broader effort launched in February 2024 to make Indore beggar-free (with begging criminalised in the city from 2025), has already identified thousands of individuals and rehabilitated many. This case highlights a different dimension: “professional” or disguised begging where individuals exploit public sympathy while concealing substantial wealth, sometimes involving illegal usury. Mangilal has been shifted for rehabilitation, and authorities are verifying his bank accounts, cash reserves, and other assets.
He will be presented before the District Collector regarding the potential misuse of government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Arogya Yojana.
Officials noted that promoting or engaging in begging remains punishable, and further action may follow against related practices.
(IANS)
