MAPUSA
The police machinery got into the act of getting rid of beggars in Calangute on Saturday.
With complaints against begging menace on the rise, Calangute Police along with the tourist police and local panchayat conducted a drive against the beggars who were found moving around Calangute and Baga.
Police detained children and arrested nine persons for using minor children for begging activities. The accused were arrested under Section 76 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 and Section 11 of Goa Daman and Diu Prevention of Beggars Act 1972, a police official informed.
“A lot of people from outside the State come here and force their children to beg. While the children will be sent to the Apna Ghar, those who force them to beg have been arrested and will be sent to judicial custody,” said Paresh Naik, Calangute PI.
He said those arrested are mostly from Osmanabad district in Maharashtra. “We have received a lot of complaints about this beggar menace. We will continue with such drives at regular intervals. Since the tourism season has started we will try to curb the menace,” Naik said.
Incidentally, a similar drive against the beggars was conducted in Calangute around six months back and at least 14 beggars were detained at that time. The menace of begging was raised a number of times by the villagers during the gram sabha meetings in Calangute.
