UAE police intensify inspections to curb begging menace during Ramadan

Sharjah resident Mohamed Amin noticed beggars selling cleaning wipes on various roads posing as street vendors. "Without wearing masks, they approach pedestrians and people in their cars, telling fabricated stories to get some money. I also see pedestrians running away to avoid getting close to them," Amin said. "Beggars are desperate this Ramadan as everyone is committed to staying at home," he added.

Another resident, Mohamed Saud, said these people are using the pandemic to continue their activities with various stories - the death of the breadwinner due to Covid-19 infection, loss of work, to name a few.

Beggars usually stand near traffic signals in industrial areas, especially in the mornings, to take advantage of the cars that stop, said Salim Al Kutabi, another resident. "They approach the drivers for sympathy, selling sterilisers that are mostly counterfeited. They also offer to sell boxes of cleaning wipes containing sterile materials. They knock the car windows with their bare hands, not wearing gloves, to display these products to the motorists."

Sharjah resident Abu Mazin said some take their disability as an advantage to get social sympathy. "I saw a man begging with an amputated hand and another who used crutches for walking. There was also a woman who would ask for money to buy milk for the infant she was holding. These scenes have become frequent in Ramadan."

Shaneela Khan felt the increase in beggars' presence near ATMs, banks, residential building entrances, and in front of supermarkets. "Before the Covid-19 situation, most of these people were seen around mosques and residential neighbourhoods," she said.

"I've seen people with children who said they have lost their breadwinners because of the virus," said Ullah Saleem.

Online begging

Beggars are exploiting the current global situation by spreading fabricated stories through social media. "They cook up stories like the inability to buy medicine. They beg you to pay the value of a bus ticket to go back to their residence or to pay debts." said a top Sharjah Police official. The police urged the public not to respond to such activities of emails or on social media.