Sharjah: As many as 1,111 beggars have been arrested in Sharjah since the beginning of this year, according to officials.
Sharjah Police said the beggars belonged to different nationalities. Of them 875 were men and 236 were women. They were all reported by the public through direct communication channels provided by Sharjah Police (80040 and 901) as well as through the field campaigns of the control teams that patrol the roads.
Sharjah Police stated that the campaign against begging continues and that the number of those arrested in 2020-2021 was 1,409 with more than Dh500,000 in cash confiscated from them.
Sharjah Police explained that most of those arrested had come on visit visas, while some were residents who were taking advantage of people’s generosity.They said many of the beggars claimed they were ill or in need of medicine and treatment. Some engages in beggary by selling counterfeit and fraudulent products or asking for cash to buy food.
Legal measures will be taken against those arrested.
Members of the public have been advised not to sympathise with beggars in any form.
The public has also been alerted to the fact that often, those sympathising with beggars have found themselves being cheated or victimised.
