Biography Of Natwarlal
Full Name | Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava |
Born | Bangra, Siwan, Bihar, and Orrisa Province, British India. |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation | Con-man |
Years active | 1937-1996 |
Died | 25th July 2009 [age 97] |
Monuments | Statue in Bangra [Bangar] |
Siblings | 2 younger brothers |
Children | 1 |
Spouse | 2 |
Known for | His high-profile crimes and Prison escapes included having supposedly repeatedly “sold” the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Parliament of India. |
Introduction
Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava byname Mr. Natwarlal was born in 1912, in Bangra village of Siwan district, Bihar. He was a lawyer by profession. He was a pretender and used clever ideas to cheat.
His ability to forge documents and signatures helped him successfully pull off the cons and made him the greatest conman of India. Natwarlal became noted after he successfully sold the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Parliament House of India multiple times.
He died on 25th July 2009. Many Indian cheaters believe that they were inspired by his career. His attainments have been compared to those of Frank Abagnale and Victor Lustig.
Birth & Family
Natwarlal was born in a middle-class family in a village that was located in Bihar. He was the oldest of his two younger brothers. His father was a station master; therefore, he was well aware of the railway industry in India.
People say, that one of his younger brothers, Ganga Prasad Shrivastav lived in Gopalgunj.
His academic career was in no way outstanding, though he failed in matric, he worked hard and somehow managed to complete his bachelor of commerce degree in Calcutta after he escaped from his hometown. Later, he also tried to establish a cloth business but failed.
He had two wives. But he was survived by one daughter, who later settled in Ranchi and married a soldier.
Career
Natwarlal was quite a personality. He got involved in multiple scams in his lifetime. He committed his first deception as an adult when his neighbor once gave him his demand draft and told him to bring his money from the bank. It was then that he committed his first scam and drew 4000 rupees from the bank by forging his signature without his consent. Later, when the neighbor enquired about this issue from the bank manager, he learned that Mithilesh was a fraud.
And this is when he becomes Mr. Natwarlal from Mithilesh Kumar. He then ran away from his house and reached Calcutta (Kolkata now). He continued his studies and also gave tuition to his master’s son, but once when his master denies giving money to him, Natwarlal then strongly decides to teach him a lesson and starts a cotton business. He succeeds in pulling a con and earns 4 lakh rupees.
After that, he escapes from Calcutta and by then he completely loses his interest to do a regular job, because he saw a new world. He mastered the art of doing dummy signatures. Also, his ability to forge documents, speak fluent English and his disguise helped him successfully pull off the cons. And, that was why Natwarlal was known as a ‘jack of all trades.’
Even though he committed numerous scams in his lifetime, only a few were recorded and proofed.
He was such an ingenious man, that he sold the Taj Mahal three times, the red fort two times, Rashtrapathi Bhavan one time, and the Parliament house one time in the presence of all the ministers.
He sometimes posed as social workers or needy people, though he would also pose as business managers and purchasing officers. He often paid his victims with fake cheques and demanded drafts.
He is said to have supposedly cheated a number of industrialists including the Tatas, the Birlas, and Dhirubhai Ambani, taking from them huge sums of money.
Natwarlal moved to eight cities in his lifetime, which includes Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
How Did He Accomplish The Scams?
Natwarlal, often would disguise himself as a government officer and sell the property papers to foreigners. He would target rich foreigners for proposals and somehow manage to get the papers with government stamps, open land, the building is, basement, garden, etc…He was so proficient in forging signatures, that even the foreigners trusted him blindly.
After his first arrest in 1937 for stealing nine tons of iron, Natwarlal temporarily changed tactics. According to police, he would visit prostitutes regularly, give them tainted liquor, steal their jewelry and money, and escape. However, Natwarlal soon deemed this tactic too dangerous, and he went back to conning.
He often used blockbuster ideas to cheat people, such as one instance in the 1950s where he swindled the Punjab National Bank out of 6.5 lakhs of rupees in a scam involving rail freight and bags of rice
Till today we do not have any collected record of the total number of scams committed by him. Along with politicians he also targeted a few rich businessmen of our country, in the name of social service, NGO, etc..’
Natwarlal used to feel very delightful whenever he would come across himself in the newspaper.
Arrest And Imprisonment
When Natwarlal’s name started getting popular among the common people, the businessmen became more cautious and this is how he first got arrested in Kanpur.
Though 150 cases were filed against him across the country, only nine of them were given verdicts in court. In actuality, he should be imprisoned for 113 years, and he only spent 30 years in jail. But most of these times, he was able to break out and escape. For example, in 1957, Natwarlal escaped the Kanpur jail by donning a smuggled police uniform, bribing his cell guards with a suitcase full of money, then walking out the front gate, passing guards who saluted him. The suitcase actually contained newspapers.
Due to his repeated escapes, it is believed he only spent 20 years in prison over the course of his life.
The last time Natwarlal was arrested was in 1996 at the age of 84. Despite his old age and his use of a wheelchair, he managed to escape again and was last seen by authorities on 24 June 1996 while being transported from prison to a hospital for treatment. He disappeared at the New Delhi railway station while being taken to AIIMS under police escort from Kanpur jail for treatment, after which he was never seen again.
Robin Hood Of His Village
Though the world hates Natwarlal for many reasons, the people of his village admire him and often refer to him as Mr. Natwarlal. He is reportedly a Robin Hood-like figure in Bangra, his native village. He is said to have given his earnings to the less fortunate. Tales of his cons, which tended to be non-violent and only targeted the rich and wealthy, made him very popular.
Allegedly, there is also a monument that is built after him in Bangra. He is very respected by his villagers even today. He holds a very special place in their heart.
It is said, that he hosted a huge feast for his villagers during his imprisonment period using his spoils. He also gave 100 rupees each to them.
Death
The last time Natwarlal was arrested was in 1996 at the age of 84. Despite his old age and his use of a wheelchair, he managed to escape again and was last seen by authorities on 24 June 1996 while being transported from prison to a hospital for treatment. He disappeared at the New Delhi railway station while being taken to AIIMS under police escort from Kanpur jail for treatment, after which he was never seen again.
In 2009, Natwarlal’s lawyer requested that more than 100 charges pending against him be dropped, claiming that he died on 25 July 2009. However, Natwarlal’s brother subsequently claimed to have cremated him in 1996, the year he last escaped, in Ranchi. For this reason, his precise date of death is uncertain.
He had two wives. He was survived by one daughter.
Legacy
Natwarlal’s ways inspired many other notorious minds to target and dupe common people. As reported by the Hindustan Times, a 21-year-old posed as the director of Indraprastha Automobiles Pvt Ltd and fraudulently withdrew around Rs 19 lakh from the account.
The life of India’s greatest conman certainly makes for a thrilling story.
In fact, even now his village thinks he has done nothing to defame them. Banke Bihari Prasad, 76, who had known Natwarlal from his early days, said: “He did not commit violence. He has not harmed anyone, he robbed only the rich. He was a twisted genius. In fact, we say that Bihar has produced three famous people: Rajendra Prasad, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Natwarlal.”
Films That Were Inspired By Him
Often filmmakers take inspiration from colorful personalities in real life to weave magic on the silver screen.
It is not necessary that every time this inspiration has to be famous. Infamous people have equally interesting stories that need to be told.
In India, several films have been made based on the exploits of its criminals.
Natwarlal (1979)- It was a good con man. There was only one person who could have played that character – Amitabh Bachchan – and he just slipped into the role with the flair that marked his career. Natwarlal is a notorious character in Indian lore. There are many stories revolving around the escapades of Natwarlal but our man is Mr. Natwarlal. He is good at heart and reaches out to the poor, always a step ahead when pulling off heists and making a mockery of the traps laid out for him. Bachchan as the protagonist was the right choice.
Raja Natwarlal-Raja Natwarlal is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film directed by Kunal Deshmukh. Reportedly, inspired by the life of real-life notorious conman Natwarlal.
Top 13 Facts About Mr. Natwarlal
Natwarlal was originally called Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava (1912-2001).
He was born in the village of Bangra in the Siwan district of Bihar. He was born in a middle-class family and his father was a station master.
He had two younger brothers.
Natwarlal was a lawyer by profession who later took to crime and soon became India’s biggest conman.
He was infamous for forging signatures and could do it with full precision, this led him to swindle crores.
In order to cheat people out of their money, Natwarlal used more than 50 names in impersonations.
Natwarlal has been wanted in around 100 cases and was sentenced to 113 years in prison for cheating cases like selling the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and Rashtrapati Bhavan.
To everyone’s surprise, he successfully sold the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Parliament House of India, along with its 545 sitting members!
He is said to have supposedly cheated a number of industrialists including the Tatas, the Birlas, and Dhirubhai Ambani, taking from them huge sums of money.
He was 84 years old in 1996 when he was arrested for the last time. This time too, he managed to escape.
Natwarlal’s death was a mystery. While his lawyers claim that he died on July 25, 2009, his brother Ganga Prasad Srivastava claimed to have cremated him in 1996 in Ranchi.
He was considered Robinhood for his village.
Many movies were inspired by him.
