Police in the UAE have launched a crackdown against people who enter the country illegally or as tourists and resort to begging to exploit philanthropic spirit of the public during religious occasions like Ramazan.
Most of the beggars arrested in the UAE last year were not needy and used fraudulent methods to dupe public, a senior police officer has said.
"Such practices undermine the reputation of both the community and country, especially when these individuals wear the UAE national uniform (abaya or kandura) and exploit people's sympathy and the philanthropic spirit of religious occasions such as the holy month of Ramazan," said Colonel Rashid Mohammad Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
"Such behaviours mar the true meaning and humanitarian spirit of the Ramadan and reflect a negative image of the country," he said.
The Abu Dhabi police have arrested a large number of beggars making spurious claims to make quick bucks in this city of the rich.
The department aims to raise awareness among the public about the fraudulent methods being used by beggars.
A vast majority of arrested beggars are not really needy and that they take advantage of generosity, Borshid said.
"Needy visitors or residents have enough dignity not to stoop low to such immoral practices, and they should approach charity institutions in order to get the necessary sanctioned help. Fraudsters often resort to begging as a profitable occupation to make money illegally," he said.
Borshid narrated the story of a beggar, an Arab, who resides in a luxury hotel in the capital, and has made a habit of coming to the UAE prior to Ramadan.
"This particular beggar travels in a tourist vehicle in front of cooperatives and markets, throughout the month of Ramadan, asking for alms to continue the trip to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, claiming to have lost all his money," he said.
He said that a beggar was asking for alms in front of a mosque with a wooden crutch next to him.
"As soon as he saw the police coming, the beggar ran away displaying rare agility and leaving the crutch behind. This goes to show that some beggars spare no effort to elicit sympathy by acting out a physical disability or injury," he said.
"Another beggar was caught with nearly AED 50,000 he had collected and some gold jewelry, which turned out to be stolen. The beggar later told one of the arresting officers that he had a legitimate purpose, and that he was planning to use the money to take a second wife," he continued.
"Another beggar claimed to be a respectable person, who held a senior management position in his country. He insisted that he wasn't used to such degrading practices, but his wife was adamant about undergoing a plastic surgery, which is a costly operation," Borshid said.
