Malda: Two years ago the country was stunned when Mumbai Police Stumble on Rs 1.8 lakh kept in beggar Birbhichand AzadThe shack after he died in an accident. It took the officials eight hours to count all the coins in a sack. That memory was seen again in Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur last Wednesday, when Kanika Mahant died of natural causes.
40-year-old Kanika also begged to live like Azad. In fact, his old mother and siblings manika And Bablu does the same. Her neighbors in Islampur’s Loknath Colony, who helped her family perform her last rites, did not expect to find sacks and trunks full of coins and notes in her room.
“We entered his room only yesterday (Tuesday) as his mother and sister asked us to bring some of his belongings for his last rites. We were stunned to see so much cash,” said Nikhil Das, one of his neighbors.
The police were informed and the money count began – mostly coins and notes of Rs 5 and Rs 10, and Rs 20 notes. By the end of the day, the official figure was Rs 1.07 lakh. “There are still more coins and notes to be counted. Since everyone was busy with the civic body election results, the counting of money would resume after two days. Till then, the room has been sealed,” Das said.
Bablu, who lives in another hut, said the family had no idea how much Kanika had saved over the years. “Had we known, we could have used the money for both Kanika’s treatment and our ailing mother,” he said.
Hardhan Sen, an elderly neighbor, said that it was decided that a part of the cash would be spent on Kanika’s funeral. “The rest will be kept in a bank in the name of his mother and sister,” Sen said.
40-year-old Kanika also begged to live like Azad. In fact, his old mother and siblings manika And Bablu does the same. Her neighbors in Islampur’s Loknath Colony, who helped her family perform her last rites, did not expect to find sacks and trunks full of coins and notes in her room.
“We entered his room only yesterday (Tuesday) as his mother and sister asked us to bring some of his belongings for his last rites. We were stunned to see so much cash,” said Nikhil Das, one of his neighbors.
The police were informed and the money count began – mostly coins and notes of Rs 5 and Rs 10, and Rs 20 notes. By the end of the day, the official figure was Rs 1.07 lakh. “There are still more coins and notes to be counted. Since everyone was busy with the civic body election results, the counting of money would resume after two days. Till then, the room has been sealed,” Das said.
Bablu, who lives in another hut, said the family had no idea how much Kanika had saved over the years. “Had we known, we could have used the money for both Kanika’s treatment and our ailing mother,” he said.
Hardhan Sen, an elderly neighbor, said that it was decided that a part of the cash would be spent on Kanika’s funeral. “The rest will be kept in a bank in the name of his mother and sister,” Sen said.