Luxury beggar earns Rs. One lakh a month

31 January 2013 12:32 pm

A woman engaged in begging and said to have earned over 100,000 rupees a month was arrested when she was begging on a train bound to Colombo from Negombo

While questioning the 62-year-old woman it was revealed that she earned over 3,000 rupees a day by convincing passengers and commuters to part with their money.

At the time of arrest she had around 1800 rupees in her possession, which according to an official of the Railways department, was earned after an hour of begging.

It was also revealed that the mother of two earned over 9000 rupees a day on Poya days, at the Kelaniya temple.

During investigations, the woman had said she begged after displaying a growth in her abdomen area and thus earning the sympathy of the people. When asked as to why she did not pursue a cure for her medical condition, she had admitted that she was living a luxurious life and could educate her children only due to this condition. (Srinath Prasanna Jayasuriya)