The Man Who Sold Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan and also the Parliament House.
Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, better known as Natwarlal, was a noted Indian con man known for having repeatedly "sold" the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan and also the Parliament House of India along with its 545 sitting members.
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He was a living-legend in his lifetime and a legend even after his death in 2009 (???) at the age of 97. He was born in Bangra village in Siwan district of Bihar, by profession he was a lawyer before he turned into a conman.
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Natwarlal, who had more than 50 identities. The police in eight states wanted him in about 100 cases, and his convictions added up to 117 years of prison life.
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Natwarlal was arrested nine times. However, he managed to escape from jail every time. He once walked out of Kanpur jail dressed as a Sub-Inspector (in a smuggled uniform). He handed out an attaché case of money to the guards, hailed a taxi and drove away.
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He was last arrested in 1996. He was 84 years old at that time and was using a wheelchair. On June 24, 1996, Natwarlal vanished in the teeming crowd at New Delhi railway station while being escorted by the police from Kanpur jail to the AIIMS hospital for treatment. It was the last time anyone had ever seen him.
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He had swindled millions of rupees from many shop-owners by paying for goods purchased with forged cheques and demand drafts.
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Natwarlal cheated many industrialists by posing as a social worker or as a person in need and relieving them of a huge amount of cash. It is alleged that even the Tatas, Birlas, and Dhirubhai Ambani had fallen for his ruse.
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He mastered the art of disguise and used novel ideas to cheat. He also mastered forgery and is known to have forged the signatures of many celebrities of his period. According to a legend, he was close to Dr. Rajendra Prasad. However, the two fell out after Natwarlal tried to dupe the first president by forging his signature.
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To Natwarlal, committing fraud was an art. Before he turned into a con man, he was by profession a lawyer. He had studied and understood human nature, and he used the vital weapon in a con man’s arsenal: another man’s greed.
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Natwarlal’s death is a mystery. In 2009, his lawyer Nandlal Jaiswal announced that Natwarlal died on Saturday July 25, 2009. However, Ganga Prasad Srivastava, brother of Natwarlal claimed that he had cremated his brother Natwarlal in 1996 at Ranchi.
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Therefore, the actual time and year of Natwarlal’s death is still uncertain. So, living up to his legend Natwarlal died twice, 13 years apart.
.
The authorities are baffled with these queries: Is Natwarlal really dead? If he is alive where is he now? Is he planning yet another scam under yet another name?
Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, better known as Natwarlal, was a noted Indian con man known for having repeatedly "sold" the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan and also the Parliament House of India along with its 545 sitting members.
.
He was a living-legend in his lifetime and a legend even after his death in 2009 (???) at the age of 97. He was born in Bangra village in Siwan district of Bihar, by profession he was a lawyer before he turned into a conman.
.
Natwarlal, who had more than 50 identities. The police in eight states wanted him in about 100 cases, and his convictions added up to 117 years of prison life.
.
Natwarlal was arrested nine times. However, he managed to escape from jail every time. He once walked out of Kanpur jail dressed as a Sub-Inspector (in a smuggled uniform). He handed out an attaché case of money to the guards, hailed a taxi and drove away.
.
He was last arrested in 1996. He was 84 years old at that time and was using a wheelchair. On June 24, 1996, Natwarlal vanished in the teeming crowd at New Delhi railway station while being escorted by the police from Kanpur jail to the AIIMS hospital for treatment. It was the last time anyone had ever seen him.
.
He had swindled millions of rupees from many shop-owners by paying for goods purchased with forged cheques and demand drafts.
.
Natwarlal cheated many industrialists by posing as a social worker or as a person in need and relieving them of a huge amount of cash. It is alleged that even the Tatas, Birlas, and Dhirubhai Ambani had fallen for his ruse.
.
He mastered the art of disguise and used novel ideas to cheat. He also mastered forgery and is known to have forged the signatures of many celebrities of his period. According to a legend, he was close to Dr. Rajendra Prasad. However, the two fell out after Natwarlal tried to dupe the first president by forging his signature.
.
To Natwarlal, committing fraud was an art. Before he turned into a con man, he was by profession a lawyer. He had studied and understood human nature, and he used the vital weapon in a con man’s arsenal: another man’s greed.
.
Natwarlal’s death is a mystery. In 2009, his lawyer Nandlal Jaiswal announced that Natwarlal died on Saturday July 25, 2009. However, Ganga Prasad Srivastava, brother of Natwarlal claimed that he had cremated his brother Natwarlal in 1996 at Ranchi.
.
Therefore, the actual time and year of Natwarlal’s death is still uncertain. So, living up to his legend Natwarlal died twice, 13 years apart.
.
The authorities are baffled with these queries: Is Natwarlal really dead? If he is alive where is he now? Is he planning yet another scam under yet another name?
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