Slumdog Millionaire: When Rs 2000 becomes Rs 100,000

“Uparwala jab bhi deta, deta chhapad phad ke” the old saying seems particularly true for Vijay who works as a sweeper in Lalaghati Housing Board Colony in Shahzadpur district of Madhya Pradesh. In fact, when almost the whole country is reeling under the impact of demonetization, with no cash (or in rare cases, a high denomination Rs 2000 available), Vijay seems to be an aberration having amassed an immediate fortune out of this cash crisis.

A few days back Vijay got a Rs 2000 note from an SBI ATM. While most people would be cursing their lucks as there are very few opportunities to get change for Rs 2000, this note turned out to be a windfall for Vijay.

Why? While Vijay’s Rs 2000 note was apparently not different from its other peers out of the mints in recent weeks, where it stood out was the last 3 digits of the note number. Yes the digits were indeed the billa number 786. Considered holy by many in Islam.

Realizing the importance of 786 and how some religious Muslims consider this to be a lucky charm, Vijay too decided to try out his pot luck on eBay of all places. He put the note up for auction in the eBay section specializing on rare currencies as well as put up the image on WhatsApp.

Result: Vijay was contacted by an unknown person and who had paid him a cheque of Rs 1 lakh for that. And he became Slumdog Millionaire

Lesson: Please look carefully at the note numbers from now on. You never know when you hit pay dirt.