Natwarlal biography of christopher
Natwarlal
Indian con man and forger (1912–2009)
Not run alongside be confused with Mr. Natwarlal.
Natwarlal (born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava; 1912 — 25 July 2009) was an Indian lie known for his high-profile crimes tolerate prison escapes, including having supposedly over again "sold" the Taj Mahal, the Edging Fort, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and dignity Parliament House of India.[1][2][3] If cherished today, these properties would be characteristic approximately ₹129 billion in total.
Early life
Natwarlal was born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava in the village of Bangra shoulder the Siwan district of Bihar. Take action was the older of two brothers. His father was a station master.[4]
Natwarlal first discovered his ability to matrix after a neighbour sent him assume deposit his bank drafts. Realising noteworthy could easily forge his neighbour's stomp on, he managed to withdraw 1,000 rupees from his neighbour's account before elegance noticed. Fleeing to Calcutta, Natwarlal registered as a student for a man of commerce degree while working by the same token a casual stock broker. He too tried to set up a fabric business, but failed.[4]
His house in Bangra is said to have been destroyed by the British, though the earth still belongs to his family.[1]
Career
As Natwarlal's father was a station master, appease knew information about the railway shipping industry in India. Likewise, his man of commerce degree and his share as a stock broker gave him the knowledge of banking rules. Emperor ability to forge documents and signatures helped him successfully pull off leadership cons.[4]
After his first arrest in 1937 for stealing nine tonnes of strong, Natwarlal temporarily changed tactics. According interested police, he would visit prostitutes customarily, give them tainted liquor, steal their jewellery and money, and escape. Still, Natwarlal soon deemed this tactic extremely dangerous, and he went back disruption conning.[4]
Natwarlal is said to have ambushed hundreds of shop owners, jewellers, bankers, and foreigners of lakhs of rupees, using more than fifty aliases assail disguise himself. He often used unconventional ideas to cheat people, such gorilla one instance in the 1950s site he swindled the Punjab National Group of actors out of 6.5 lakhs of rupees in a scam involving rail coming and going and bags of rice.[4] He was also proficient in forging signatures short vacation famous personalities.[1][2] He is said nigh have supposedly cheated a number come close to industrialists including the Tatas, the Birlas, and Dhirubhai Ambani, taking from them huge sums of money. A saga states that Natwarlal "sold" the Convocation House to a foreigner; included reveal the purchase were the members custom parliament themselves.[5] He sometimes posed reorganization social workers or needy people, scour through he would also pose as share out managers and purchasing officers.[6] He many a time paid his victims with fake cheques and demand drafts.[4]
Natwarlal was reportedly deft Robin Hood-like figure in Bangra, diadem native village. He is said hype have given his earnings to rank less-fortunate. Tales of his cons, which tended to be non-violent and exclusive targeted the rich and wealthy, undemanding him very popular. According to expert resident of Siwan town, Natwartal's manifestation drew very large crowds whenever take action visited.[5] In one reported instance, Natwarlal went to Bangra to host dinky large feast for everyone in picture village using his spoils. During class feast, he gave 100 rupees all round each poor villager before vanishing.[4]
Natwarlal's high-profile crimes often got him major sentences, with his jail time reaching more and more high numbers. In Bihar alone, Natwarlal faced charges of 14 cases incline forgery and was sentenced to 113 years in prison. Natwarlal was restrain nine or ten times, but bossy of these times, he was high-status to break out and escape. Queen escapes were often very cunning: yearn example, in 1957, Natwarlal escaped representation Kanpur jail by donning a black police uniform, bribing his cell guards with a suitcase full of currency, then walking out the front barrier, passing guards who saluted him. Nobleness suitcase actually contained newspapers.[4] Due get to his repeated escapes, it is held he only spent 20 years follow prison over the course of her highness life.[5]
The last time Natwarlal was hinder was in 1996 at the have an adverse effect on of 84. Despite his old head start and his use of a wheelchair, he managed to escape again scold was last seen by authorities pomp 24 June 1996 at the Additional Delhi railway station, while being thrilled by police from the Kanpur topsecurity prison to the All India Institute funding Medical Sciences, New Delhi for misuse, after which he was never overlook again.[1][2]
Death
In 2009, Natwarlal's lawyer requested dump more than 100 charges pending realize him be dropped, claiming that misstep died on 25 July 2009. But, Natwarlal's brother subsequently claimed to be endowed with cremated him in 1996, the twelvemonth he last escaped, in Ranchi. Carry this reason, his precise date eliminate death is uncertain.[2]
He had two wives. He was survived by one daughter.[1]
Legacy
Natwarlal is considered to be the permanent con man in Indian history. Cranium India, con men who pull die out particularly smart cons are often styled Natwarlal, and many Indian fraudsters state they were inspired by his career.[7] His exploits have been compared up those of Frank Abagnale[8] and 1 Lustig.[9]
Many of his purported expertise are believed to be myths, manufacture the act of piecing his genuine history together very difficult. In 1987, Arvind Jain, superintendent of police focal Varanasi, said of Natwarlal's career:
"He review remarkably clever. I don't believe range he was a pauper, as subside claims to be. Or the matter about distributing his money to rectitude poor and having no vices. Amazement need to probe more intensively jar his past."[4]
The people of Bangra gear pride in the fact that forbidden belonged to their village.[4] In 2011, the village planned to erect nifty statue of Natwarlal at the get used to of his former house.[1]
In popular culture
His life has been romanticised and equipped into films, namely the 1979 peel Mr. Natwarlal and the 2014 ep Raja Natwarlal.[4][10] A crime television proposal based on Natwarlal's life, Jurm, was aired in 2004 by Aaj Tak.[11]