Beggar menace: Police to carry out raids at major junctions

Bengaluru: Dressed in rags with a sling hanging by their shoulders and an infant’s face peeping in and out, you could have not missed young girls and kids chasing you for a rupee or two. Areas with high footfalls such as Brigade Road, M.G Road, Koramangala, Majestic are increasingly becoming ‘profitable areas’ for beggars.Following a surge in the number of beggars in the city, the police have planned to conduct raids across all the major junctions in the next 10 days and will focus on women and girls carrying kids.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) P. Harisekaran told Deccan Chronicle that information was being collected from every station to trace the background of these beggars. “There are nearly 100 places we have identified from where kids and women are being brought to the city. However, these raids have to be conducted in accordance with The Karnataka Prohibition of Beggary Act, 1975. We have to sensitize police officials about the raid and identify places to lodge the rescued kids. We are clearing the ground before conducting the massive raid,” he said.

According to Mr Harisekaran, cracking the whip against the beggars needs a lot of co-ordination with other government departments. “Beggary has become a social issue as women and kids are involved, and the police cannot follow any hard and fast rules. Most importantly, we have to consider what needs to be done with the kids after they are rescued. The police department cannot accommodate hundreds of people rescued in a drive. I have sought the assistance of Social Welfare department and we are looking at alternate arrangements,” Mr Harisekaran added.

Meanwhile, the additional commissioner said that many women labourers were turning towards beggary and the police were also working on solving this problem. “We have to find out if the kids accompanied by women are kidnapped and forced into beggary or were they sent by the parents themselves. We are slowly working towards curbing the menace,” he added.
If the raids are successful the city could soon be free of beggar menace at busy junctions.