Fed up of beggars and their fabricated stories to dupe unsuspecting kind-hearted citizens, especially during Ramadan, the Dubai police have launched the ‘Combating Begging’ campaign to educate people about the pitfalls of donating to beggars, both physically and online, media reports said.
The Dubai Police, in order to preserve the civilised image of the country and to prevent begging-related crimes, posted Monday on X that it was a crime to beg and that donations should be directed via authorised channels.
“Begging is a crime punishable by law. Imprisonment for up to 3 months and a fine of AED 5,000. Give wisely… and direct your donations through approved entities,” Dubai Police posted on X.
Meanwhile, several media outlets reported that a day ago, the Dubai Police had apprehended a beggar on whom Rs 5 lakh were found. Brigadier Ali Salem Al Shamsi, Director of the Suspicious Persons and Criminal Phenomena Department of the General Department of Criminal Investigation, said the beggar’s modus operandi was to target luxury car owners in parking lots and traffic lights.
Al Shamsi was quoted by media reports as having warned people to not fall for the begging techniques, either on streets or online, which essentially involved fabricating stories about financial problems. He was reported saying that mosque, hospitals, clinics, markets, and streets were the prime areas where the beggars tricked people into donating money.
Dubai has anti-begging laws, under which begging is a punishable act.
The Police, reports said, also warned people against online begging, which too was a punishable act. Police said online begging was actually run at a scam level as suspect donation appeals circulate on websites and social media platforms.
Authorities have appealed to people to donate to official agencies and legal charitable organisations for their money to reach deserving and the needy.