Ever heard of a beggar who has savings account in four nationalised banks besides having an immovable property worth Rs 1.25 crore? A beggar who lends money to traders on interest and still wants to continue begging? Sounds bizarre, but it’s true.
A physically challenged man Pappu Kumar, in his early 30s, who fractured his left hand and leg in an accident years ago, continues to beg on the platform of Patna railway station even though the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel have shooed him away from the junction premises several times.
That he is a crorepati became public when the RPF took him into custody during a special drive in which beggars, in and around the Patna junction premises, were being removed.
The police personnel were taken aback when they found Pappu’s four ATM cards — one each from State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Allahabad Bank. On further query, it was found that the savings accounts had cash balance of nearly Rs 5 lakh, while the beggar had lent Rs 10 lakh as loan to small traders of New Market area on high rate of simple interest. When a senior RPF official suggested getting treatment for his injured hand and leg, the 32-year old Pappu shot back: “If I am cured, how will I continue begging?”
Pappu was an average student till he completed his intermediate where he scored 57 per cent marks but got 72 per cent in Maths. He wanted to pursue engineering but a fatal accident crippled his entire plan to study further. The death of his father in Patna Saheb added to his misery. Mercifully, he inherited some property as his share which he sold off and purchased a new one at Digha.
Today he owns two cottahs of land (measuring 2000 square feet) worth Rs 1.25 crore, has five lakh as cash in bank, has extended loan to businessman and is still not ready to give up begging. “We have removed him from station premises umpteen times and asked him to stop begging as he has sufficient cash to eke out a living. But why he wants to continue begging is beyond someone’s imagination,” RPF inspector Rajesh Lal told Deccan Herald.
