Begging racket: SIT teams set to visit Kanpur, Hyderabad

BHOPAL: After 21 beggars from Hyderabad and Kanpur were sent to judicial custody on Sunday, the SIT has decided to send its team to the two cities for further investigation. SHO of Bajaria police station, Pradeep Valmiki told TOI that none of the beggars are poor and make enough money to lead a comfortable life, besides providing education to their children. The beggars will remain in judicial custody till June 8.
Valmiki said, “After their medical check-up and interrogation, we have found that the children of the beggars from Hyderabad study in good schools as they recited poetry in English and also performed mimicry and sang songs for us during interrogation.They are neither malnourished nor weak. Even the women from Hyderabad are healthy. One of them works as a cook at a school hostel and they go to different cities for begging during vacation.”
Valmiki said that the SIT is waiting for the approval from higher authorities to leave for the two cities to collect more information about the beggars. “As soon as the team gets the green signal, it will leave for the two cities. They will seek information from their neighbours, besides verifying whether they work at places they have named and will also coordinate with the local police for further investigation”, he said.
Declining the possibility of child trafficking, Valmiki said, “They have adopted begging as a profession. But so far we have no proof of child trafficking. The affection that the women and children have for each other, and the fact that none of the children were hurt or their limbs imputed, makes us believe that they are their own children.”