Chai-wala-turned-crorepati to contest against BJP sitting MLA
Bengaluru: A 43-year-old man, who once used to sell tea to make a living and now a billionaire, has filed his nomination for May 12th Assembly polls as an Independent candidate from Bommanahalli constituency in Bengaluru.
With declared assets worth Rs. 339 crore, Mr Kumar is the richest Independent candidate to have filed nomination papers for the upcoming polls. He also owns a fleet of 16 cars, including imported brands though he wouldn't name them.
For Mr Kumar, who is from Kerala, struggle began early in life. After his father died, his mother worked as a house help to look after her three children.
With resources stretched at home, Mr Kumar could not study beyond the third standard. He left home for Bengaluru when he was just 11 in 1985.
With no place to stay in an alien city, he used to sleep in front of closed shops at night. One day, a kind-hearted man gave him food and offered a job in his shop. I was told to carry mangoes from one place to another, he said.
Soon after, he started selling tea at small companies and later he got more people and expanded his tea-selling business. I started earning more and even managed to save, he claimed.
His fortunes changed after marriage when the couple bought a plot in the city to build a house of their own. But he sold the land after somebody offered him double the price. It was his venture into the world of real estate that, according to him, yielded high returns.
"I started buying small plots and sold them for many times the price. That was in the late 90s," he said, claiming that he made crores in a span of six years.
Eight years ago, he set up his own company called M J Infrastructure in Bomanahalli. He says he is also into philanthropic work that includes building a church and a temple as well.
Pitted against the BJP's Sathish Reddy who holds the Bomanahalli seat, Anil Kumar seems confident of a win. I have the Almighty's blessings and support of the people, he said.
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2 men dragged for 300 metres by truck in Agra; locals save their lives
Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.
Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.
Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.
The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.
The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.
"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.
"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.
The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.
“पिछली पोस्ट में वीडियो में युवकों को मोटर साइकल सहित ट्रक वाला कई मीटर तक घसीटता हुआ ले जाता गया देखा था,
— Umashankar Singh उमाशंकर सिंह (@umashankarsingh) December 23, 2024
अब जनता द्वारा उस ट्रक ड्राइवर की ठुकाई पिटाई का समारोह देखिए।”#Agra@madanjournalist
pic.twitter.com/Qh5ncyWtEa
HORRIFYING!
— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) December 23, 2024
In Agra, a truck driver dragged two men for 300 meters. Locals intervened, stopping the truck and saving the men. Both are stable but continue receiving treatment. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized.
pic.twitter.com/1ply5wemfX
