A disabled beggar who lived on handouts in Lebanon died a millionaire.
Police were shocked to discover that Fatima Othman, 52, had accumulated a small fortune while begging on the streets in the capital Beirut.
Officers discovered her body in an abandoned car in the city’s Barbir district and two bags containing five million LBP ($3,300) in cash.
And the frugal beggar had also stashed away 1.7 billion LBP ($1.1 million) in a savings account – which was uncovered after police found her deposit book for a local bank.
Police spokesman Joseph Musallem said Ms Othman died from a heart attack and her death was not being treated as suspicious.
But he said it was ‘a big surprise’ to discover that she had amassed such a fortune.
Ms Othman was unable to use her hands and feet after suffering devastating injuries during the Lebanese Civil War, locals report.
She became a local celebrity after a picture of her being fed water by a Lebanese soldier went viral online.
The soldier was praised by his commander for showing ‘compassion and humanity’.
Police tracked down Ms Othman’s family to the town of Ain Al-Zahab in Akkar, northern Lebanon, and they have now buried her body.
They were equally dumbstruck when they discovered how wealthy she was.
Share your thoughts