A substantial sum of over Rs 0.5 million was discovered in the pocket of an elderly beggar lying unconscious on Khushab Road in Punjab’s Sargodha district. The beggar was rescued by the Rescue 1122 team.
According to Rescue 1122, the elderly man was carrying Rs 534,000. He also had a passport indicating multiple trips to Saudi Arabia.
District Emergency Officer said: “When the rescue team arrived to assist the elderly beggar following an anonymous call, residents revealed that he had been begging in the same area.”
The rescue authorities confirmed that the man got his cash and other belongings back after he was discharged from the hospital.
In September last year, it was revealed that Pakistani nationals were exploiting Umrah visas for begging purposes in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development informed the Senate Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that a significant number of beggars travel abroad through human trafficking channels.
The secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis told the Senate panel that 90% of beggars arrested in foreign countries were Pakistanis.
“The Iraqi and Saudi ambassadors have reported that their jails were overcrowded due to these arrests,” he told the Senate committee. “Most of the pickpockets caught inside the Masjid Al Haram in Saudi Arabia were of Pakistani origin, and they exploited the Umrah visas for begging purposes.”
