Dubai Police arrested more than 220 people for begging during Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr, as part of an annual campaign to curb the practice.
Those arrested comprised men and women of various nationalities, authorities said on Friday afternoon. Begging is illegal in the UAE and punishable by up to three months in jail and fines of up to Dh5,000.
The arrests were carried out under an annual plan by police in the emirate to step up patrols in areas where beggars were expected, according to Col Ahmed Al Adidi, acting director of the Suspects and Criminal Phenomena Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigations.
The campaign has contributed to reducing the number of beggars due to the strict and decisive measures taken, he added.
The push to clamp down on begging focused on tactics used by beggars, such as gathering at places where people go to worship, making deceitful requests for online donations and falsely seeking help towards building mosques in other countries, according to the statement.
Captain Abdullah Khamis advised people to only make donations through official channels.
Last week, The National reported that police in Abu Dhabi arrested 237 people for begging during the month of Ramadan.
