Traders and businessmen wait in a queue to collect coins at the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in Kolkata on Friday.

A mysterious coin shortage gripping the eastern city has shopkeepers seeking change from beggars and buying coins at prices above their face value.

No one knows exactly why there is no change in Kolkata or why the dearth has affected only this city of 14 million, but it has spurred the RBI to emergency measures, distributing millions of coins to try meet the demand.