Mangilal sits atop a handcart fitted with iron wheels and bearings, a backpack on his shoulder and a pair of shoes on his hands, which he uses to balance himself as he moves through the narrow alleys of Indore’s bustling Sarafa market. He doesn’t beg directly; instead, he positions himself in a way that encourages passersby to give money out of sympathy.
Mangilal is a physically disabled millionaire beggar. He owns three houses (including one government-allotted property), three auto-rickshaws, and a Maruti Suzuki Dzire car.
Recently, Mangilal came under the spotlight during an anti-begging drive conducted by India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development. As part of the campaign to make Indore a “beggar-free city,” a rescue team located and detained him late at night on Saturday, January 17.
The operation was based on information about a leprosy-afflicted individual who regularly begged in Sarafa. Officials expected a routine case, but what they discovered was astonishing.
Mangilal had mastered the art of silent begging over the years, never extending his hand. He simply sat on his iron cart, relying on human sympathy for donations. His daily earnings from this method were around 400–500 rupees.
However, investigators found that his real business began after dark. During questioning, Mangilal admitted that he didn’t spend the money he earned from begging. Instead, he reinvested it in Sarafa market.
He would lend cash to local shopkeepers for a day or a week, charging interest, which he collected personally each evening. Officials estimate that the total amount he had lent ranged from 400,000 to 500,000 rupees, allowing him to earn up to 2,000 rupees daily in interest.
The man whom the market considered destitute is now the owner of three houses in the city’s upscale areas, including a three-story building. He also owns three auto-rickshaws, rented out daily, and a Maruti Suzuki Dzire, which he does not drive himself but rents out.
Despite his existing wealth, he also received a government-allotted one-bedroom flat under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme (PMAY).
According to Dinesh Mishra, an official from the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the nodal officer of the rescue operation, Mangilal has now been relocated to the Ujjayyan Seva Dham ashram. Investigations into his bank accounts and properties are ongoing, and business owners who borrowed from him will also be questioned.
Regarding the operation, Mishra said, “During questioning, Mangilal admitted that the money he earned from begging was lent to several shopkeepers in Sarafa. He provided funds for a day or a week and personally collected the interest in the evenings.”
