Begging racket busted in Hyderabad, kingpin & 23 beggars held

Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS) Hyderabad Police have busted a begging mafia racket with the arrest of an organizer who had employed 23 beggars on daily wages of Rs 200 each.

Hyderabad Commissioner's Task Force West Zone team also detained 23 beggars, including eight children for questioning.

Anil Pawar, a native of Karnataka, had hired the beggars at traffic junctions in posh Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills. Police investigation revealed that he was collecting Rs 4,500 to 6,000 each from them every day but paying them Rs 200 per day as wages.

The racket was busted during a special drive launched by the Task Force to check the menace of people under the guise of beggars harassing people on the city roads.

According to West Zone Task Force Inspector Mohd Khaleel Pasha, they had taken up the special drive with the support of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Operation Smile. A total of 23 persons, including eight children were caught while begging at KBR Park junction and Jubilee Hills check post.

On questioning by Task Force personnel, they revealed that they were earning anywhere between Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,000 every day by begging but the entire money was going to Anil Pawar. He was paying them only Rs 200 every day and arranging food and accommodation.

A resident of Fathenagar, Borabanda in Hyderabad, Pawar is a native of Gulbarga in Karnataka. Police found that he was hiring men, women, children and even physically challenged persons for begging.

Police seized two bikes from Pawar. The organizer, aged 28, was booked under the Prevention of Begging Act and was handed over to the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Jubilee Hills Police Station for further investigation.