Over 900 beggars arrested In Islamabad

ISLAMABAD:  The ICT Administration, in coordination with the police, has arrested more than 900 beggars in a month under its campaign against professional begging.

An official said on Monday that of the total number of beggars arrested, 45% were men, 38% were women, 7% were minors, and 10% were transgender. He claimed that teams had been formed to oversee the anti-begging campaign around the capital, with the relevant assistant commissioners and magistrates serving as their leaders.

According to a recent update from Dr. Abdullah Tabassum, the spokesman for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 921 people who were begging were arrested in just one month, from March to April. He said that beggar mafias became more active during the holy month of Ramazan.

Professional beggars were swiftly taken to the closest police station for additional processing after being apprehended, and minors who were found among them were sent to the Edhi Center for help and care.

To a query, he said the District administration caught minor beggars and handed them over to shelter homes and Edhi centers but later they gave an affidavit or fine to authorities and went Scot-free.

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He stated that the ICT administration in the federal capital will keep up its crackdown against professional begging till all alms-seekers are eradicated from our society, per the directives of the Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad.