The tale of a Mumbai auto-rickshaw driver earning a staggering Rs 5 to Rs 8 lakh a month—without driving his vehicle—has taken the internet by storm. First shared on LinkedIn by Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Rahul Rupani and now amplified by industrialist Harsh Goenka on X, the story is being hailed as a classic case of “pure Indian jugaad.”
At the center of this viral sensation is Ashok, an auto driver who cleverly turned a strict rule outside the US Consulate in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) into a booming business opportunity.
Due to stringent security protocols, visa applicants visiting the consulate are prohibited from carrying personal belongings, including bags. Observing lengthy lines for visas at the US embassy and the no-phone, no-bag policy, Ashok parked his rickshaw just outside the consulate and offered a simple but much-needed service: bag storage.
With no official locker facility in the vicinity, his offer quickly gained traction. Applicants willingly paid Rs 1,000 to safely store their belongings during their appointments. According to Rupani, a product leader at Lenskart, Ashok served 20–30 clients daily—earning Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per day and up to Rs 8 lakh a month.
A Viral Post, A Sudden Shutdown
What began as a smart, low-cost hustle soon attracted massive praise online. Rupani’s LinkedIn post celebrated Ashok’s entrepreneurial instinct and compared his income to that of seasoned corporate professionals—all without formal training or infrastructure. However, the virality came with consequences.
Once the story gained traction, it caught the attention of local authorities. Mumbai Police quickly stepped in. Ashok—and over a dozen others running similar services—were summoned and warned. According to a senior officer from BKC police station, these operations violated high-security protocols around the consulate. Unregulated storage of personal belongings posed a potential threat and was deemed unauthorized commercial activity.
With no legal permission in place, the makeshift locker services were swiftly shut down.
A Cautionary Tale
Ashok’s journey—from a clever idea to a high-earning operation and its abrupt end—highlights both the power and peril of grassroots innovation. While his business acumen is admirable, the story underscores a critical lesson: scaling without legal safeguards can invite risks, especially in sensitive zones.
What was once a poster child for street-smart success is now a quiet cautionary tale of how going viral can sometimes shut the very doors it opens.
