Crackdown on beggars’ handlers, 26 arrested

Islamabad : Islamabad Police conducted a grand intelligence based operation against beggar’s handlers in rural and city areas and arrested 26 handlers.

Following orders of IGP Islamabad Qazi Jamil Ur Rehman, under supervision of SSP (Operations) Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanweer, Islamabad Police had launched a massive campaign against professional alm-seekers and their handlers to curb this menace from Federal Capital, Islamabad.

Police teams under supervision of Additional SP (Islamabad) Farhat Abbass Kazmi including SDOPs, SHOs, and lady commandos conducted a grand targeted operation in areas Khanna, Shehzad Town, Koral, Nilore, Lohi Bher, Sihala, abpara, Shalimar, Margalla.

Additional SP Farhat Abbas Kazmi told that, we got the tips through Safe City Cameras and other intelligence sources about presence of network of beggars’ handlers and got the information about their locations and kept them under the watch.

He said that these nabbed persons had divided different residential areas, signals and main crossings in Rural Zone for begging activities. “They also used to pick up men, women and children from Katchi Abadies and drop them at various signals, residential areas and crossings, in vans, taxis and motorcycles” he added.

He maintained that, the handlers used to get share from them and support them in case of any issue. Police have registered cases against all the accused under Act relating to human smuggling and sections for involving women/children in begging activities, Farhat told.

He said that, all arrested handlers are relatives with each other and used to live in hits built in open areas adding that they lived in 15 different localities in capital each comprising huts for 50 to 100 families and located in the areas of rural and industrial area zones.

Farhat said that these handlers transported the children and women to different spots for begging in early morning and later pick them up for home. They also get them freed when they were arrested and sent to shelter homes, he added.

Farhat Abbass Kazmi emphasized that high-ups of Islamabad police are determined to curb this social evil and ensure strict action against those backing the professional beggars.

He said we have been doing this campaign for since 6 weeks and we would continue this with more passion to make it more effective and we will ensure strict action to be taken against those who force children and women to adopt the ugly business. Citizens are requested to discourage the beggars as a campaign to eradicate this menace from the city.