Hyderabad: Organised alms-seeking gangs that operate in the city are likely to take a backseat after the city police re-introduced special drives against gangs that solicit aggressive panhandling. Major junctions where these beggars are in large numbers and start pestering vehicle occupants for alms include the traffic signals at Uppal, Habsiguda, Sangeet, Patny, Nagarjuna and Paradise circles, Tank bund, Khairatabad, Assembly, Masab Tank and Mehdipatnam, Jubilee Hills Checkpost, Durgam Cheruvu Metro Rail Station road and Cyber Towers. Birthday celebrations around Tank Bund are another preferred target by the beggars.
These gangs not only annoy commuters with their aggressive panhandling, but are also creating panic.
On returning as the city commissioner C.V. Anand has revived the special drives to identify and track down all these gangs and take action against the ringleader.
A task force officer said that the gangs that have been identified so far are from Moosapet, Masab Tank and Nanal Nagar. Families engaged in the activity on average manage to make between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 per day. If employed by any organizer, the beggars are paid Rs 500 to Rs 800 per day apart from food and in some instances even shelter.
According to Task Force DCP Y.V.S. Sudheendra, his sleuths are tackling the issue. After they identify the more vulnerable spots, special drives will be conducted in those places.
During Anand’s earlier stint, a gang and its organiser Anil Pawar were arrested. They revealed that a community from Karnataka was involved in this racket.
Women carrying babies and minors dressed Mahatma Gandhi and other personalities are all under the police scanner.
