Pakistani ice cream vendor Abdul Qadir had two recent surprises in his life.
First, he was visited by agents from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency in his home in the slum of Karachi. Second, he realized that the purpose of the visit was because they thought he had $18 million (2.3 billion rupees) in the bank.
From The Guardian:
“I am the most unlucky man in the world,” the 52-year-old said in a television interview. “When I came to know about [the huge sum], it was no longer there.”
Brought in for a second interview on 19 September, the distraught vendor invited sceptical officials to inspect the condition of his home. “Why would I be spending this miserable life if I have billions in my account?” he said.
The affair has only further impoverished Qadir. While he used to make £3 per day selling ice-cream, the father of two has been unable to return to work since his story spread through the neighbourhood.
“People started taunting me by saying, ‘Look a billionaire is selling falooda [an ice-cream topped desert].’
The authorities believed that Qadir didn't own that money in his account for one simple reason: he is illiterate.
(Photo: Pakistan Today)