CTP accelerates campaign against professional beggars, arrests 346 on Rawalpindi roads

Rawalpindi: City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi had accelerated their on-going campaign against professional beggars and rounded up 346 during February and March, said Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi, Muhammad Bin Ashraf.

He informed that seven cases were also lodged against professional beggars in various police stations of the city during this month. He said that city traffic police, on the directive of Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir were trying to eliminate the begging from the city roads and during their efforts, 26 beggars were rounded up and handed over to district police during March. He informed that the beggar children netted from the city roads were handed over to Child Protection Bureau (CPB).

He said, four cases were registered in Women Police Station, two in Cantt and one FIR was lodged in Civil Line Police Station while 15 female and five male beggars were netted. 320 professional beggars were rounded up during last month, he said adding special anti-beggars squad of CTP and Rawalpindi district police was conducting raids at different roads and intersections and action in accordance with the law was taken against beggars. Directives had also been issued to the squad to register cases against the beggars and the report in this regard should be sent to CTO office on daily basis, he said. According to CTP spokesman, the CTP Rawalpindi in collaboration with Child Protection Bureau, Social Welfare Department and Bait-ul-Mal Rawalpindi also organized an awareness walk here the other day against beggary on Murree Road.

The walk was attended by Senior Traffic Officer (STO), Rawalpindi Superintendent Police Tamoor Khan, Inspectors Malik Azhar, Zeeshan and Faisal, Warden Officer Irfan Qasim, representatives of Traffic Police Education Wing, Child Protection Bureau, Social Welfare Department and Bait-ul-Mal.

The participants were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans to discourage beggary. The participants said that beggary was a social menace as professional beggars had become a social nuisance everywhere. Anti-Beggary banners were also displayed on rickshaws. The walk was organised to create awareness among the citizens against beggary and the CTP was trying to spread the message of the anti-begging campaign. He said that the CTP had launched crackdown against professional beggars and their handlers in city to combat the menace of begging mafia.