LAHORE:A special teams of police initiated a crackdown on regular basis against beggars. The officials arrested 4,112 beggars, including 3,942 men,157 women and 13 facilitators, from different areas of the city during the current year. Accordingly, City division Police arrested 869 beggars; Sadar division 734, Model Town division Police 788, Cantonment division 688, Iqbal Town division 566 and Civil Lines division Police arrested 467 beggars till now. The beggars were taken into custody by police in collaboration with the district administration, the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau as well as other related departments.Police handed over child beggars to the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau whereas adult beggars have been admitted to rehabilitation wards of related hospitals
designated by the government. Police arrested 317 beggars, including 313 males and four females under the Anti Beggary Act during the last month and registered cases against them at different police stations of the city. Moreover, 14 beggars have been arrested during the current month from different areas of the city. CCPO Ghulaam Mahmood Dogar said officers had been given special task to arrest habitual beggars. The traffic police had been assisting special teams to curb beggary.