A man in India was very clever. He used fake names to trick rich people. He even tried to sell famous buildings. He was good at escaping from jail. Some people in his village liked him. Do you think he was smart?
A man in India was very clever. He used fake names to trick rich people. He could copy signatures very well.
He even tried to sell famous buildings. He once tried to sell a large palace.
This man was good at escaping from jail. He once wore a police uniform to walk out. He used a suitcase of paper to trick guards.
Some people in his village liked him. He gave money to poor people. They thought he was like a hero. It is hard to know his whole story.
Natwarlal was a famous fraudster from India. He was born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava in 1912. He lived in a village called Bangra. He learned how to forge signatures early in life. Forging means making a fake copy of a person's name. He used this skill to trick many people. He once tricked a neighbor to take money from a bank.
Natwarlal was very clever at his tricks. He used over fifty different names to hide himself. He even tried to sell famous buildings. People say he tried to sell the Taj Mahal. He also tried to sell the Parliament House of India. He mostly targeted rich people and big banks. Some people in his village thought he was a hero. They said he gave his money to the poor.
He was also known for escaping from jail. In 1957, he escaped from a jail in Kanpur. He wore a fake police uniform to walk out. He used a suitcase full of newspapers to trick guards. He was arrested many times. However, he spent only about 20 years in prison. It is hard to know his true story. Many of his tales may be legends.
Natwarlal was a very famous fraudster from India. He was born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava in 1912. He grew up in a village called Bangra in Bihar. His father worked as a station master. This job helped Natwarlal learn about the railway industry. He also studied for a commerce degree. This helped him learn how banking works. He found out he could forge signatures early on. Forging means making a fake copy of someone's handwriting. He first tried this on a neighbor's bank draft.
Natwarlal was very clever at tricking people. He used more than fifty different names to hide himself. He often pretended to be a business manager. Sometimes he acted like a social worker. He used fake checks to pay his victims. He targeted very wealthy people and big banks. He once tricked the Punjab National Bank in the 1950s. This scam involved bags of rice and railway freight. He even supposedly tried to sell the Taj Mahal.
Many people tell stories about his amazing tricks. Legend says he tried to sell the Parliament House. He even supposedly included the members of parliament in the sale. Some say he tried to sell the Red Fort too. These famous buildings are worth a huge amount of money. Today, those properties would be worth about 129 billion rupees. He also tricked famous business families like the Tatas. These stories are so famous that people call tricksters "Natwarlal" in India.
Natwarlal was also known for escaping from jail. He was arrested many times during his life. In 1957, he escaped from a jail in Kanpur. He wore a fake police uniform to trick the guards. He carried a suitcase that he said was full of money. The suitcase actually only had newspapers inside. The guards even saluted him as he walked out. Because he escaped so often, he only spent 20 years in prison.
It is hard to know the exact truth about his life. His lawyer said he died in 2009. However, his brother said he died in 1996. The last time police saw him was in New Delhi in 1996. He was 84 years old and using a wheelchair. Some people in his village thought he was a hero. They said he gave his money to the poor. In 2011, his village even planned to build a statue of him.
Natwarlal was a legendary Indian fraudster who became famous for his high-profile crimes. He was born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava in 1912 in the village of Bangra. He lived in the Siwan district of Bihar, India. Natwarlal was known for his ability to trick people using forgery. Forgery is the act of making a fake copy of a signature or document. He was so famous that his name became a term for clever tricksters in India. His life involved many complex schemes and many prison escapes.
His early life provided him with the tools for his future career. His father worked as a station master, which gave Natwarlal knowledge about the railway industry. Natwarlal also earned a bachelor of commerce degree. This education helped him understand banking rules and financial systems. He discovered his talent for forgery when he was young. He successfully forged a neighbor's signature to withdraw 1,000 rupees from a bank account. This early success showed his ability to manipulate official documents.
Natwarlal used many different methods to carry out his scams. He used over fifty different aliases, which are fake names, to hide his identity. He often posed as a business manager or a purchasing officer. Sometimes he even pretended to be a social worker or a person in need. He frequently used fake checks and demand drafts to pay his victims. He targeted wealthy individuals, large banks, and famous industrialists. This included major families like the Tatas and the Birlas, as well as Dhirubhai Ambani.
Some of his most famous stories involve selling massive national landmarks. Legend says he supposedly "sold" the Taj Mahal on multiple occasions. He also allegedly tried to sell the Red Fort and the Rashtrapati Bhavan. One famous legend claims he sold the Parliament House of India to a foreigner. This story even suggests the members of parliament were included in the sale. If these properties were valued today, they would be worth approximately ₹129 billion. This is about $1.4 billion in total value.
Natwarlal was also known for his ability to escape from legal custody. He was arrested nine or ten times throughout his life. In 1957, he performed a very cunning escape from the Kanpur jail. He wore a smuggled police uniform to trick the staff. He also carried a suitcase that he claimed was full of money. In reality, the suitcase contained only newspapers. The guards even saluted him as he walked out the front gate. Because of these escapes, he only spent about 20 years in prison.
In his home village of Bangra, Natwarlal was viewed in a different light. Some residents saw him as a Robin Hood-like figure. They claimed he gave his stolen money to the less fortunate. One story says he hosted a large feast for the whole village. During this event, he reportedly gave ₹100 to every poor villager before leaving. Because of this, he was very popular in his hometown. In 2011, the village even planned to build a statue of him.
It is very difficult for historians to know the exact truth about his life. Many of his exploits may be myths or legends rather than facts. There is also confusion regarding when he actually died. His lawyer claimed he died on July 25, 2009. However, his brother stated that he was cremated in 1996. The last time authorities saw him was on June 24, 1996. He was 84 years old and using a wheelchair at the New Delhi railway station. His true history remains a mix of documented crime and popular folklore.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.