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40 years begging, Rs 8.4 lakh in sacks: Karnataka woman leaves family stunned after death
The secret hoard was uncovered after relatives broke open a locked room in the woman's rented house. Following a two-day audit by local mosque officials, the family said the cash will be distributed among needy relatives.
A 70-year-old woman who spent over four decades begging in Karnataka's Mandya left her family stunned after Rs 8.4 lakh in cash was found hidden in a locked room after her death. (Screengrabs enhanced using AI).
To the residents of Mandya in Karnataka, Noorunnisa was simply a tragic figure, a 70-year-old woman with a long-term mental illness who spent over four decades roaming local traffic junctions and begging. But when she died inside her rented home, she left behind a secret that sent shockwaves through her family and neighbourhood: 10 hidden sacks packed with Rs 8.40 lakh in cash.
The discovery came only after neighbours raised an alarm on Sunday, noticing Noorunnisa, also known as Noor or Hoor, had not stepped outside for days. Entering the house, her relatives found her dead. As they began cleaning the premises, they forced open the lock to a private room she had guarded for decades. They found sacks with decades’ worth of accumulated coins and currency notes.
The family temporarily handed the sacks over to a local mosque for safekeeping and counting while awaiting other relatives. As word spread, viral social media rumours falsely claimed the hoard exceeded Rs 1 crore. However, mosque officials cleared the air on Monday following a two-day audit.
“The family entrusted us with the money. The counting was conducted strictly in front of the family members, and the total came to Rs 8.4 lakh,” said Mukthar Ahmed, vice-president of the local mosque. “We have handed the entire amount back to the family.”
The family has said the entire Rs 8.4 lakh will be distributed among the needy relatives.
‘She never allowed anyone inside’
One of six siblings, Noor had lived alone since her unmarried sister passed away two years ago. She had been begging for around 40 years, according to her family.
“We visited her occasionally to give her food and help her bathe,” said her nephew Fairoz Ahmed. “However, we were completely unaware of the money she had accumulated. The room where the cash was found was always kept locked. She never allowed anyone inside and would only speak to us while standing at the door.”
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Fairoz added that the family had repeatedly tried to persuade her to leave begging.
Local residents recalled seeing her roaming the main roads after 10 am or sitting outside the local mosque on Fridays, accepting both cash and food from passersby.
“Whenever small children refused to eat food or hear our words, we used to tell them Noor would pick you up and go,” a resident said.
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