Beggar who lives in hotels

Chandigarh, Apr 22 (UNI) Its usually the business class or top executives, who can afford a room in a three-star hotel at Rs 3000 a day, but the local police were stunned when they came to know that a beggar could afford to stay at Hotel Shivalik View.

Shankar Mehta, a 45-year beggar was picked up by the police during its anti-beggar drive yesterday. He could have passed off like any other beggar but the heavy bag slung on his shoulders raised the eye brows of the cops.

Searching into his bag they were stunned to find an expensive mobile, a DVD player and a bottle of English whisky. From his personal search the cops found Rs 3000 in cash and a packet of an expensive brand of cigarettes.

A key recovered from his bag, turned out to be that of a hotel in Atawa where he had tented a room for Rs 250 per day. He had hired the room for a month.

Police officials when contacted today said that the beggar during questioning revealed that at times he would get tired of staying in the cheap hotel at Atawa and would shift to Shivalik View. The cops were amazed when he told them that he was planning to go to Shimla as the heat in the plains was becoming unbearable.

Shankar Mehta had been begging in the city for four months and has accounts in several banks. The police are making further investigations into the life of this rich beggar.

UNI