Hunt for mystery wealthy man who posed as beggar and rewarded strangers who give him change

Yogi Omar, 30, offered to buy homeless man food in Vancouver, Canada

The man revealed he wasn't a beggar and wanted to repay Omar's kindness

He gave Omar $469 in cash to cover his January rent

The mystery man is rewarding random acts of kindness towards those in need as part of an annual family tradition

Yogi Omar was so cash-strapped, he almost didn't stop to help a homeless man begging for small change.



But when the 30-year-old offered to buy the panhandler food on Thursday night, he was stunned by the man's response.



The scruffy street-sleeper refused Omar's offer - and instead asked the Vancouver man what he could do for him.



'Practice kindness': Yogi Omar, pictured, stopped to helped a beggar and was rewarded for his kindness

Laughing all the way to the bank: A mysterious benefactor on the streets of Vancouver rewarded Yogi Omar (pictured) for his generosity

In a bizarre twist, the man wasn't homeless, but a wealthy benefactor participating in an annual 'random acts of kindness ritual' with his family.



For three hours every night for a week over Christmas, the mystery man hangs out on a Canada street corner to see who is willing to help the down and out, the Vancouver Sun reported.



For Omar, it was a humbling experience.



'I wanted to give him food more than anything else, really,' he said.



'He said, 'I do this with my family every year'. They just want to see who cares about the homeless. I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy'.'

Act of kindness: Yogi Omar was approached by a homeless man asking for change. He initally said no, but something made him turn around and offer the fellow a meal



Omar was on his way to a Vancity Bank ATM on the corner of Pender and Hornby Streets when the rough-sleeper asked him for coins.



Omar admitted he wasn't going to stop - himself struggling to get by - but was suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to help.



When he told the man that he'd just bought expensive plane tickets to Guangzhou, China, to visit his father who suffers from terminal cancer, the bighearted man offered to help him out.



Omar refused cash for the plane ticket, but accepted the man's offer to pay his January rent.

'He just whipped out this fanny pack and gave me $469 in cash. I was like, 'Is this serious?' I was really stunned at that point,' Omar said.



'I was very, very stunned. I was thinking about this the whole time.

'I was like, 'I don't know what to say. What do I do?' I thought, I'm going to tell people ... it's weird but wonderful.'

Scene: Yogi Omar went to deposit some money at the Vancity Bank on Pender and Hornby Sts in Vancouver, Canada, at about midnight when he saw a homeless man standing outside

The man, who Omar described as a Caucasian in his 50s wearing a plaid shirt, refused to give his name.

'He said, 'That's part of the deal, I have to remain anonymous. Just keep doing good things,'Omar said.



'I guess that's what karma is, you don't expect anything back.'

The InspirationALL Talent and Modelling Group co-founder posted his good luck story on his Facebook page, which has been 'liked' nearly 800 times.



'I hope people see this and just share the love with people around them,' Omar told Metro News.

'Be kind and share the love.'