Making the most of charity: Indians fly to Gulf countries for begging!

Daijiworld Media Network

Chennai, Jul 28: It is a known fact that begging rackets are prevalent across India. Though a majority of the beggars may be genuine, there are those who have made it their profession. And now it has come to light that there is a network of beggars who, come Ramadan, catch a flight to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to make the best of the season of giving in Muslim countries.

The racket has been prevalent for many years now. Though begging is prohbited in Gulf countries, Indians get lured by the possibility of making lacs of rupees during the month of Ramadan when Muslims generously give 'Zakat' (charity). Some of these 'beggars' even land in jails there.

Indians, Pakistanis and people of several other countries make a beeline to get hold of the charity. The agents rope up a group of people for begging and arrange visa, passports, tickets, and everything else for them. Amusing as it may seem, each 'rich beggar' has to pay a sum of Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.25 lac to the agent to get the arrangements done.

As the value of Gulf currencies is more than the rupee, the Indians make a lucrative business out of begging. Every day, they make around Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000, and on Fridays the amount doubles. By the end of Ramadan, each 'beggar' is richer by at least Rs 3 lac to Rs 6 lac.

The money that is made is tranferred through Hawala operators. In India, this racket goes on in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and other states.

Already, around 57 Indians have been arrested in Saudi Arabia and 29, including women, in UAE since the day Ramadan began this month. All of them had visit visas. The Gulf countries have taken strict measures to prevent begging, with about 20 police teams being deployed in Dubai alone. Last year, 650 beggars were caught, most of the during the month of Ramadan.