Kuwait to deport 22 people for begging

Group, comprising men and women, accused of harassing shoppers and pedestrians

Kuwait is to deport 22 beggars after they were arrested for breaking the law and harassing people.

The group, comprising men and women from Arab and Asian countries, focused on harassing shoppers and pedestrians by insisting on receiving money from them, residency sources told local daily Al Rai.

Investigations revealed that some of the beggars were staying illegally in Kuwait and violating the residency regulations, the sources added.

“The authorities will continue to fight the phenomenon of begging and will use plainclothes officers to help in the arrest of beggars,” the sources said.

Kuwait, like fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — does not allow begging and has pledged zero-tolerance towards begging, particularly during Ramadan when people have a stronger tendency to donate money and engage in acts of charity.

With begging turning into a lucrative activity for a number of foreigners in the Gulf, odd ways of soliciting money have emerged, mainly crossdressing.

Police in Kuwait have uncovered men who resorted to wearing a woman’s abaya — the traditional coverall worn by women in the Gulf that covers the face — to boost their chances of getting money from unsuspecting people who tend to sympathise more with women seemingly in need.