Criminal Investigation Department tells of beggars’ different tales of woes and fraudulent methods

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, March 14th 2015 [ME NewsWire]

Colonel Dr. Rashid Mohammad Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Abu Dhabi Police, described some of the objectionable methods and funny tales of beggars who enter the country either illegally or under the pretext of tourism. This measure is designed to prevent the spread of this phenomenon, which tarnishes the civilized image of any society. It also aims at raising awareness among the public about the fraudulent methods used by beggars to capitalize on people’s sympathy and compassion, and cashing in on their good will to make profits.

Colonel Dr. Borshid said that the vast majority of the arrested beggars are not really needy, and that they engage in this unethical objectionable behavior by taking advantage of the generosity and tolerance that typifies the Emirati community and its noble residents and visitors. “Such practices undermine the reputation of both the community and country, especially when these individuals wear the UAE national uniform (abaya or kandura) and exploit people’s sympathy and the philanthropic spirit of religious occasions such as the holy month of Ramadan. Such behaviors mar the true meaning and humanitarian spirit of the Ramadan and reflect a negative image of the country, which is based on social solidarity and characterized by the economic welfare enjoyed by people in the UAE,” he continued.

Adding further, Colonel Dr. Borshid said: “Beggars of today are not the needy, but professional individuals who lack moral values. Needy visitors or residents have enough dignity not to steep low to such immoral practices, and they should approach charity institutions in order to get the necessary sanctioned help. Fraudsters often resort to begging as a profitable occupation to make money illegally.”

The Bold Beggar

Colonel Dr. Borshid also told the story of a beggar, an Arab national who resides in a luxury hotel in the capital, and has made a habit of coming to the UAE prior to the Holy Month of Ramadan, for years.  “This particular beggar travels in a tourist vehicle in front of cooperatives and markets, throughout the month of Ramadan, asking for alms to continue the trip to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, claiming to have lost all his money,” he said.

Elaborating further, Colonel Borshid said: “The beggar, who was found in possession of money, luxury clothing, and valuable items, claimed that he had bought them as gifts to his relatives and intended to take them back to his country with the advent of Eid Al Fitr. On one particular occasion, the beggar came across a young Arab and asked him for some petrol money to cover the trip to Masjid al-Haram. The unsuspecting young man takes out his wallet, which contained AED 400, and gave the beggar half the amount, keeping the other half to buy groceries for his family. However, the beggar went on and asked for an additional AED 50 to buy an Iftar meal during the trip, then another AED 25 to buy a hookah. On this note, the young man realized that he had fallen prey to a “bold beggar”; so he fooled him into waiting for him to bring additional cash money from a nearby ATM and promptly reported him to the Criminal Investigation Department.”

Marrying another Woman

Colonel Dr. Borshid told the story of the false beggar who was arrested by the police a few years ago asking for handouts in front of a mosque; with his leg splinted in a white cloth and a wooden crutch next to him. “As soon as he saw the police coming, the beggar ran away displaying rare agility and leaving the crutch behind. This goes to show that some beggars spare no effort to elicit sympathy by acting out a physical disability or injury,” he said.

Citing another example, Colonel Dr. Borshid told the story of a beggar who utilized religion and holy texts to achieve personal and vile goals, which distort the true meaning of these noble texts. “Another beggar was caught with nearly Dh50,000 he had collected and some gold jewelry, which turned out to be stolen. The beggar later told one of the arresting officers that he had a legitimate purpose, and that he was planning to use the money to take a second wife,” he continued.

Adding further, Colonel Dr. Borshid said: “Another beggar claimed to be a respectable person, who held a senior management position in his country – without actually indicating the real nature of this position – He insisted that he wasn’t used to such degrading practices, but his wife was adamant about undergoing a plastic surgery, which is a costly operation.”

Cyber Begging

Colonel Dr. Borshid expressed his dismay at individuals that he called ‘looters’  or ‘fraudsters’ who come up with modern ways of begging by sending nuisance text messages and emails claiming to be in need for phone credit or money. He called upon members of the public not to be duped by such false claims and to immediately block such numbers and email addresses and to report any harassment they may face.

For more information about:

The Ministry of Interior, please click HERE

Abu Dhabi Police, please click HERE

Follow us and check our Social Media feeds on: YouTube, Facebook and Twitter

The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/13989/en