Valsad: The beggar who reportedly died due to starvation here in the city on Sunday was identified as Mukesh, aka Mahesh Patel, aged 60, on Wednesday. Notably, at the time of his demise, the beggar was found in possession of currency notes totaling Rs 1.14 lakh.

It is learned that the deceased was the owner of a permanent residence in the Dhobi Talao area of Valsad town.

According to the police, Mukesh Patel was found motionless near Gandhi Library on Stadium Road and was sent to the Civil Hospital via 108 Ambulance, where he ultimately passed away during treatment.

Following his death, the Valsad town police initiated an accidental death complaint and commenced an investigation to establish the identity of the deceased. The postmortem conducted at the Civil Hospital revealed that Mukesh Patel had not consumed any food in the two days leading up to his demise.

Valsad Town Police Inspector B. D. Jitiya stated, “We exerted all possible efforts to ascertain the identity of the deceased but were unsuccessful. On Wednesday evening, Dipak Ramesh Patel and his sister Jigisha Patel approached the police station, claiming that the deceased was their uncle, Mukesh, also known as Mahesh Patel, a resident of Vadchowk. We thoroughly examined all the documents submitted by Dipak and Jigisha. The body and the cash have been handed over to them.”

He added, “Mukesh was unmarried and had been mentally unstable since the death of his mother around 10 years ago. Mukesh’s elder brother, Ramesh Sukkarbhai Patel, also passed away a few years ago. Every 15 days, Mukesh used to visit his house and then leave again. Statements have also been obtained from 15 people residing near Mukesh’s house.”