Woman begging in Dubai owns Land Cruiser

The UAE has one of the world’s highest per capita incomes. So do beggars, thanks to this massive wealth and the general benevolent nature of the people.

A woman caught begging near a Dubai mosque is found to have a luxurious four-wheel Toyota Land Cruiser, which she was parking just metres away.

An Asian beggar was also found to have more than Dh70,000, which he said he carried with him for fear or being stolen by roommates. Another woman with a severed limb had around Dh60,000, while large sums were also found with some of the 4,316 beggars nabbed by Dubai Police over the past five years.

Begging is strictly banned in the UAE but the phenomenon has persisted and even spread over the past few years as many of those who beg were found to be illegal migrants or presumed tourists.

“Begging is on the rise…many of them are now dressed nicely so they would not be distinguished from others…we have also found that some beggars are beautiful girls who rely on their beauty to target men,” Dubai’s Assistant Police Commander-in-Chief for criminal affairs Khalil Al Mansouri said, quoted by ‘Emarat Al Youm’ daily.

Director of the counter-infiltration unit at Dubai’s police Lt Colonel Ali Al Shamsi said beggars mainly target mosques and other congested places including petrol pumps, shopping centres, key roads and houses.

“One woman from another Arab country was caught begging near a mosque…our men who were watching her found that after she finished begging, she went round the mosque, got into a Land Cruiser and drove away…we found that it was her car,” he said.

Shamsi said an old woman with a severed limb was found to have Dh60,000 while an Asian man was caught with more than Dh70,000 in his pockets.

“This man told police that he had made the money through begging and that he kept it with him because he feared his roommates would steal it,’ he said.

He said many of the beggars who claim they have injury or are ill are impostors, adding that many of those arrested over the past five years were children.

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