Every day, Mangilal traversed Sarafa market on a homemade cart, begging for money. His seemingly pitiable state allowed him to collect 400-500 Indian rupees daily. However, his true financial standing was only revealed when authorities initiated a campaign to crack down on begging.

Investigations uncovered Mangilal's substantial assets, including a three-story building and two additional houses situated in prime areas. He also owned three auto-rickshaws, which he rented out, and a Maruti Suzuki Dzire car, complete with a private driver earning over 10,000 Indian rupees monthly. Adding to this, he illegally occupied a government apartment intended for low-income residents.

Mangilal, a beggar in Indore city, used the money he collected to run a loan shark operation. *ETV Bharat*

Mangilal's actual profession commenced after sunset. He channeled all his daily collections into a loan shark operation, lending money to market vendors at high daily interest rates. Authorities estimate he had invested approximately 500,000 Indian rupees (150 million VND) into this scheme, reportedly generating up to 2,000 Indian rupees in interest each day.

Many market vendors were shocked to learn that the person they routinely encountered begging was, in fact, the anonymous loan shark of the entire market. Dinesh Mishra, an official representative, confirmed that Mangilal has since been transferred to a welfare center, and his bank accounts have been frozen as part of an ongoing investigation into his illicit lending operations.

This incident has become a stark irony in Indore, a city grappling with approximately 6,500 homeless individuals. In a market otherwise known for its precious metal trade, Mangilal's case illustrates how empathy can, at times, be manipulated into a highly profitable venture.

Minh Phuong (According to NDTV)