ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police held more than 8,000 beggars during the ongoing year in its crackdown against professional alm seekers and their handlers with the purpose to curb this menace, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.
Following directions of Inspector General of Police Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman, special teams headed by Additional SP Farhat Abbass Kazmi have been constituted to ensure arrest of beggars’ handlers while legal process is ensured to register FIRs against the professional alm-seekers. During efforts to curb this menace, police arrested more than 8,000 professional beggars from various areas of the city during current year.
The IGP Islamabad has said that this social evil would be curbed and those backing the professional beggars would be dealt with an iron hand.
During the ongoing year, a total of 377 handlers of beggars were arrested while more than 1800 were sent to jails after legal action against them. Around 6,000 beggars including transgender persons, children, women and men were shifted to Edhi Homes or Child Protection Center.
Due to strict action against beggars, 75 percent mafia involved in begging activities has been eliminated while crackdown is still underway against these elements.
IGP aid this campaign against the professional alm-seekers will be made more effective as it is being appreciated by the public. He said that strict action would be taken against those who force children and women to adopt the ugly business.
However, Islamabad police chief said that collective efforts and joint action plan are needed to curb the menace of begging and to get rid of this social evil. He said that all relevant departments would have to chalk out a joint action plan and every responsible citizen should step ahead for effective action against the mafia involved in begging. He said that police can only take action against beggars while rehabilitation and education to the children is the responsibility of other departments.
The IGP that relevant departments and responsible members of the society should play role for rehabilitation of these persons and also for education of children. Such steps would help to discourage and check begging activities, he added.
