The man who sold Taj Mahal - Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava

The man who sold Taj Mahal

These days when people fake themselves and wear a mask of artificial expressions, this is a real story about a person who faked others in an unique way. But he was not a common conman, but the greatest of his elite category.

Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava (1912-1996/2009), was also popularly known as "Natwarlal", was a noted Indian conman who 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 life time and also continued to be one after his death. He was born in Bangra village in Siwan district of Bihar. He was a lawyer by profession before he turned into a conman.

Modus Operandi :

He was in a wanted list in over a 100 cases in 8 States. He had been sentenced to a massive 113 years in jail by various courts and had made eight daring escapes, each time from a different jail.

He was a master of disguise who used more than 50 names to commit crimes. He once walked out of Kanpur jail dressed as a Sub-Inspector (in a smuggled uniform). He offered an attaché case of money to the guards, addressed a taxi and drove away.

He used to pose as a Government official and fool foreign tourists by selling them famous Indian monuments. He forged President Rajendra Prasad’s signature and sold the Taj Mahal thrice, and the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Lal Qila twice!!

He is also said to have cheated number of industrialists including Birlas and Dhirubhai Ambani taking from them huge money in cash, posturing as social worker or needy person. Also he had duped many shop-owners with lakhs of rupees, paying them by cheque and demand drafts, which were later found to be forged.

Interestingly, at the age of 84, he was on a wheelchair, old, ill and so disabled that the police were taking him to the AIIMS Hospital for treatment. On the way to the Hospital, at the New Delhi Railway Station, he slipped from right under the Policemen’s nose. He was seen for the last time on June 24, 1996.

His daring acts are often compared with Frank Abagnale of Catch Me If You Can and Victor Lustig. The blockbuster bollywood film Mr. Natwarlal starring Amitabh Bacchan gave a tactful idea of the life of original Natwarlal.