ISLAMABAD, Sep 07 (APP):The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have arrested some 8,283 professional beggars, including 147 handlers, during the current year and taken legal action against them.
A massive crackdown was underway against the alms-seekers and their facilitators as per the directives of Inspector General of Police Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan to purge the ICT of the menace, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation Syed Farhat Abbas Kazmi told a press conference on Wednesday.
He said special teams were activated to curb the menace, while two vehicles, one each in East and West circle, used to patrol for action against the mafia.
Similarly, he said all the zonal SPs and station house officers were also directed to lodge first information reports (FIRs) against the handlers under Human Trafficking Act, he added.
The SSP said about 474 FIRs were registered against 1,686 alms-seekers, while 928 men, 728 women and 30 transgenders were challaned.
Similarly, 147 cases were registered under Section 3 of Human Trafficking Act 2018, he added. Likewise, 1,894 men, 232 women, 4,101 children, 305 girls and 21 eunuchs were sent to Edhi and Shelter homes, he said.
SSP Kazmi said it transpired during investigations that the facilitators forced small children and women to seek alms and then took their share from the amounts collected by them. They also gave them pick and drop.
He appealed to the masses to discourage such people and inform the police about their facilitators to end beggary in the Federal Capital.
