Indore officials stunned after finding leprosy patient beggar owns houses and auto-rickshaws

The man has lent money in the famous bullion market here and earns handsome daily interest from this business

• Indore officials find beggar with assets worth lakhs during anti-begging drive
• The man owns houses, vehicles, lends money, and earns daily interest and alms
• Authorities verify assets, consider legal action; humanitarian concerns raised

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Officials in Indore were taken by surprise during an anti-begging drive after they came across a leprosy-afflicted man who, according to preliminary findings, owns properties and vehicles worth several lakh rupees, PTI reported.

The discovery followed a tip-off from the public, after which a 50-year-old man was rescued from the Sarafa area, a bustling food and bullion hub of the city. The man, who moves around on a wheeled board while seeking alms, was found to own multiple assets, officials said.

“We have learned that this man owns three concrete houses, including a three-story building. In addition, he has three auto-rickshaws that he rents out. The man also owns a car in which he goes begging. He has even hired a driver for this purpose. He begs while moving about on a wheeled board,” said Dinesh Mishra, an official of the Women and Child Development Department and nodal officer for the campaign to make Indore beggar-free.

Mishra added that the man has also lent money in Indore’s bullion market and earns regular interest from it. “The man, who has been begging since 2021, had lent Rs 4–5 lakh to people in the bullion market here and charges interest that nets him between Rs 1,000–1,200 per day,” he said. Apart from this, the man reportedly earns another Rs 400–500 daily through alms. He has currently been shifted to a shelter home.

District Magistrate Shivam Verma said the administration has received preliminary information about the man’s assets and that further verification is underway. He reiterated that Indore is a “beggar-free city” and that such rehabilitation drives are carried out based on public inputs. “Appropriate legal action will be taken after all facts are verified,” Verma said.

However, the case has also sparked debate over the humanitarian aspect of such drives. Rupali Jain, president of NGO Pravesh, which works to eradicate beggary, urged authorities to look beyond the headline figures. She said the man had earlier worked as a mason but was forced to stop after leprosy severely damaged his fingers and feet.

Facing social stigma and family discrimination, he turned to begging at night near the Sarafa area, Jain 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,” she said, highlighting the challenges of rehabilitating people suffering from socially stigmatised diseases.

In a separate statement to ANI, Dinesh Mishra said, “Our teams dedicated to rescuing beggars were continuously conducting rescue operations in the city… This Saturday, we specifically sent a team to apprehend him. His name is Mangilal, 55 to 60 years old, and he is a leprosy patient, begging continuously for the past eight to ten years.”

He added, “We found out that he is quite wealthy and according to reports, he has even lent out Rs 4 to 5 lakh at interest. He owns 3 concrete houses and rents out 3 auto-rickshaws… He travels in a car with a driver and uses it to commute to and from his begging spots.”

According to Mishra, the government has already allotted the man a one-bedroom house due to his medical condition, and the total value of his assets could be close to Rs 1 crore, though details are still being verified. “This entire matter has been reported to the Collector, and he will give instructions after reviewing the case,” he said.

Indore has imposed a legal ban on begging, giving alms, and even buying goods from beggars as part of its efforts to remain beggar-free, alongside its long-running cleanliness drive.