Natwarlal biography for kids

Indian con man and forger (1912–2009)

Not to be confused with Mr. Natwarlal.

Natwarlal (born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava; 1912 — 25 July 2009) was an Indian fraudster known for his high-profile crimes and prison escapes, including having supposedly repeatedly "sold" the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Parliament House of India.^[1][2][3] If valued today, these properties would be worth approximately ₹129 billion in total.

Early life

Natwarlal was born Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava in the village of Bangra in the Siwan district of Bihar. He was the older of two brothers. His father was a station master.^[4]

Natwarlal first discovered his ability to forge after a neighbour sent him to deposit his bank drafts.

Realising he could easily forge his neighbour's signature, he managed to withdraw 1,000 rupees from his neighbour's account before he noticed. Fleeing to Calcutta, Natwarlal enrolled as a st