Dubai arrests a beggar using talismans to gain sympathy

Gulf Today

12-03-2025

As part of their ongoing campaign against begging, the Dubai Police arrested a woman who was begging in an unusual way. She used talismans to gain sympathy from passers-by. Officers noticed that people would give her money as soon as they stopped in front of her.
When they searched her, they found scraps of paper with incomprehensible symbols and folded papers with people's names sewn together with a needle and thread.
This initiative forms part of the ongoing efforts of the Dubai Police to maintain community security and combat negative phenomena. As part of its security initiatives, Dubai Police have successfully caught numerous individuals engaged in fraudulent activities designed to gain the sympathy of the community.
In a separate crack down, an individual engaged in begging was apprehended in possession of documentation pertaining to regular deliveries amounting to Dhs8,700. This incident is part of a series of cases.
Another incident involved an Asian man who was arrested in possession of Dhs42,000 that had been collected from begging. The campaign also resulted in the arrest of a young Arab man who had disguised himself as a woman, wearing an Abaya and Niqab, in the vicinity of a mosque.
Upon apprehension, the individual confessed to employing this stratagem to elicit sympathy, operating under the belief that female beggars receive more assistance than their male counterparts.
Brigadier Ali Salem Al Shamsi, Director of the Suspects and Criminal Phenomena Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, explained that the campaigns are continuing around the clock in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
Al Shamsi emphasised that individuals engaging in begging employ diverse techniques to elicit sympathy, particularly during the month of Ramadan.
He underscored that it is important to refrain from sympathising with such individuals, as the narratives they present are frequently contrived. Al Shamsi further noted that the Dubai Police engage in annual monitoring of these deceptive methods to formulate effective strategies and programmes for their mitigation.
Anti-begging initiatives are implemented with the objective of addressing diverse forms of begging, encompassing both conventional practices, such as soliciting funds on a street corner, and contemporary manifestations of this practice. These include the use of electronic means for solicitation, as well as the purported collection of funds for non-existent projects.
Captain Khamis Abdullah Al Naqbi, Head of the Anti-Begging Section, warned of dealing with empathy with individuals engaged in begging and street vending activities.
He also called upon members of the public to report any such violations by contacting the 901 number or utilising the 'Police Eye' service available on the Dubai Police app.
This appeal forms part of the ongoing Ramadan campaign, which is operating on a 24-hour basis with the aim of identifying and penalising those responsible for any violations and thereby safeguarding the civilised appearance of the emirate.