Slumdog millionaire? Mumbai beggar leaves behind assets worth over Rs 10 lakh

The woman claimed that her husband had abandoned her when she was pregnant with her fifth child.(Representational Image)

A beggar asking for alms is probably the most common sight in India, but can you ever imagine some of them having a bank balance better than yours?

A Mumbai-based beggar, who recently lost his life to an accident, was one such person. Fixed deposit documents worth Rs 8.77 lakh were found from his dilapidated one-room house in southeast Mumbai’s Govandi area. That’s not all. The Mumbai Police also found coins worth at least Rs 1.5 lakh from his humble abode.

According to an NDTV report, Birju Chandra Azad, the beggar who was in his 60s, lived alone in a slum and left behind a voter identity card, a PAN card, and an Aadhaar card, apart from the lakhs of rupees.

He died in a mishap on October 4, and the police traced him to his house to look for relatives who may claim his body. However, when they reached his house, they found no other person, but a huge stash of coins kept in a bag, along with some old newspapers and polythene bags.

The cops spent hours counting all the coins. It is believed that Azad had saved up this money over a long period of time.

NK Saste, Senior Police Inspector-Vashi GRP, said: "Birju Chandra Azad died in an accident while trespassing on railway tracks between Govandi and Mankhurd station."

"We identified him through documents found at his residence and came to know that his family resides in Rajasthan. We have contacted his son, who is also a nominee of his fixed deposit," he added.

Notably, he is not the only beggar who happens to be a millionaire. At the beginning of this year, there were reports of another Mumbai beggar Krishna Kumar Gite making almost Rs 50,000 per month. He even owned a flat in Nala Sopara.