Gang charged for forcing 14 to beg
sharjah — The Sharjah Criminal Court has charged a gang of five men for forcing 14 physically challenged people into begging on the streets of Sharjah.
The Pakistani accused brought the victims as young as 14 on visit visas from their own country ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
During the court hearing presided over by Judge Mahmood Abu Baker, the victims said they were rescued after being arrested by the cops and were among the 35 beggars brought to the police station. On interrogation, the cops learnt that they were trafficked by the five Pakistanis.
The court heard the statements of the 13 victims, even as a 14-year-old boy, who was exploited by the gang, was receiving psychiatric treatment in a hospital.
The victims suffered from a range of disabilities, including hand amputations and congenital deformities. Nine of the victims were in their 20s and four in their late 40s. They could only speak their native language.
The victims were coaxed into training on how to earn people’s sympathy so they can dole out alms. The victims said the defendants put them up in an accommodation in the industrial area.
During the police and prosecution interrogation, the suspects confessed that they had brought people with disabilities from different parts of their home country, including a large number of amputees, to make them beg in the UAE.
During the court hearing, the first accused contended that two of the victims he brought were aware that they would be used for begging.
While the third and fifth accused denied all accusation, the second and fourth defendants were not confronted by the court.
The Sharjah Police said the criminal investigation department (CID), in coordination with the patrols team, during an intensified crackdown, found that a large number of physically challenged beggars were infesting certain pockets of the city. They monitored their movements and arrested them. Later, the police were able to locate the hideouts of the gang members and nabbed them, too. The police said the victims were being kept in extremely shabby living conditions, which was affecting their health.
amira@khaleejtimes.com