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JOHOR BAHRU: Two disabled beggars were found to have traveled by taxi to beg at three different locations and earned over a hundred ringgit a night.
According to the observation of a Sin Chew Daily ad hoc group, one of the disabled beggar would sit on a platform hand truck while the other would push it slowly along the streets to beg from people passing by. They also played Buddhist songs to attract attention.
The ad hoc group first found the two disabled beggars at a night market in Taman Pelangi. They kept begging and trying to win public sympathy with the pathetic image of two disabled men.
In fact, there were four beggars begging at the night market that night. They begged with their own approaches and it was curious that they were actually having a kind of mutual understanding for not meeting each other. When they walked along the streets from different directions, one of them would sure walk away first every time before they met.
Later, when the ad hoc group went to a crowded food court in Taman Sentosa, it was surprising to find the two disabled beggars were begging there!
The night market in Taman Sentosa was 3km away from the night market in Taman Pelangi. How could they reach there even faster than the ad hoc group? The group then decided to find out the answers.
After they had begged enough at the food court, the two beggars then went to a deserted corner and quickly "changed".
The beggar who was originally sitting on the platform hand truck stood up and walked with underarm crutches while the other beggar who was walking slowly folded the truck briskly. They then stopped a taxi and rushed to the next location.
Jalan Trus in the downtown, which was 5km away from the Taman Sentosa night market, was their third location. They begged for money with the same approach.
It was observed that Johor Bahru people were very compassionate. Many people gave alms to the two disabled beggars generously and some even treated them drinks.
Based on a rough calculation, the two disabled beggars had received over a hundred ringgit that evening. It would not be difficult for them to earn each a few thousand ringgit a month after the deduction for taxi fares.
According to the information given by the Johor Welfare Department, there is a rise in the number of beggars from China even after the department has assisted more than a hundred of beggars each year. The problem should no longer be neglected.
The Johor Welfare Department said that there are always a syndicate behind those foreign beggars that teaches them how to beg money in crowded places and evade law enforcement officers.
