No joke: Man in Malaysia earns RM500 a day from begging, also owns a car

Claiming he had a physical deformity, one man in Pahang, Malaysia turned to begging for money at night markets. 

However, he was recently exposed by social welfare officers who were conducting an operation at a night market in Sri Jaya, a village in Maran district on Wednesday (Feb 21). 

Sharing the incident on their Facebook page, the social welfare organisation, Jkm Maran, said that they spotted the man, dressed in a grey robe, standing next to a food stall begging for money. 

They noted that the man's hands appeared smaller than those of a typical adult male's. 

When the social welfare officers approached him to ask for his ID, he reportedly pretended to be deaf and mute. 

He finally responded when the officers persisted, and told them he left his ID in his vehicle. 

As officers followed him to his vehicle, they were shocked to discover that the man owns a Proton X70 - which retails from RM98,800 to RM128,800 (S$27,670 to S$36,078). 

The man also reportedly told officers that he gets about RM500 from begging at night markets for four to five hours each time, reported the New Straits Times. 

After conducting their investigations, JKM also found that the man had been receiving RM450 in financial assistance every month since 2001. 

As it was his first offence, the social welfare officers let him off with a warning. He also had to sign a letter agreeing not to beg for money anymore. 

READ ALSO: Scammer or beggar? Man warns about stranger approaching students to pay for his McDonald's meal at Bishan

claudiatan@asiaone.com