ISLAMABAD, July 22: Professional beggars in Rawalpindi and Islamabad started lining up in the local markets and roadsides to collect alms in Ramazan.

With the beginning of the holy month, groups of beggars mostly women, children and old men, have crowded the markets, shopping malls, signals and streets for grabbing money which people give as charity.

According to shoppers in markets, these beggars use new tactics to gain attention of the people for the purpose of getting money by winning their sympathy in the name of religion.

“The concept of beggary has now emerged as a business  and masses believe that inability of authorities concerned to control the menace reflects there is a strong mafia behind them,” said a resident of Commercial Market Rawalpindi.

Instead of getting donations from people, their constant forceful tactics sometimes create nuisance for general public who feel themselves attacked by their offensive behaviour.

The beggars start annoying people from 6th Road Chowk while their groups continue chasing people in Commercial Market as those visiting the market describe them as “a complex issue that seems out of control now”.

A group of women carrying infants, bandaged arms of young men accompanying them, middle-aged men showing disabilities, barefooted children, she-males and others selling low quality products, are the most common among tools of getting sympathies of people.—APP