Lucknow, Apr 26 (IANS): Manoj Ranjan Dixit (56), who claimed to be a former RAW agent having spent a decade in a Pakistan jail, died of Covid-19 in Lucknow on Monday.

Dixit waited for more than 18 hours to get admission into a hospital, but died before he could do so.

Dixit's story, when it emerged in February this year, appeared to be the perfect material for a Bollywood thriller, being firmly ingrained in painful reality.

He lived alone in a rented room in Gomti Nagar Extension. He had lost his job as a storekeeper during the lockdown and battled for survival since then. His routine included making visits to the offices of district officials in the hope of getting a roof over his head and also some much-needed financial help.

The short-statured man claimed to be a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. RAW is the premier foreign intelligence agency of India.

"I belong to Najibabad. I was working for RAW since 1985 and after military training, I was sent to Pakistan. I was arrested in 1992 in Pakistan for spying. In 2005, I was released at the Wagah border.

"I got married in 2007. After some time, I came to know that my wife has cancer. I came to Lucknow for her treatment but she died in 2013. I have been living here since then," he had told reporters.

According to Dixit, he was arrested for spying on the Afghanistan border and had to face torture.

After his return, he said that some of the RAW officers provided him financial help but after that he was left to fend for himself.

"I have documents but no one is willing to listen to me," he had said pointing, to a sheaf of papers.