Fake Injuries, 'Stranded Family': Dubai Police Warn Of Organised Begging During Ramadan

2026-02-23 11:15:21

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) According to police, most of the beggers arrested during the holy month in the last few years were visitors on short-term visas

PUBLISHED: Tue 24 Feb 2026, 5:00 AM UPDATED: Tue 24 Feb 2026, 7:49 AM

By:
Mazhar Farooqui

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As Ramadan begins, charitable giving across the UAE rises sharply. But authorities say the holy month also brings a predictable surge in organised begging, with visitors entering the country on short-term visas to exploit public generosity.

Dubai Police recently highlighted the issue after arresting a man in a parking area carrying Dh20,000 in cash. According to Brigadier Ali Salem Al Shamsi, director of the Suspicious Persons and Criminal Phenomena Department, the individual had been targeting motorists in luxury vehicles at traffic lights and parking areas, claiming hardship and asking for money.

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“Beggars often use deceptive tactics to exploit sympathy at mosque entrances, hospitals, clinics, markets and streets,” Al Shamsi said in an official statement. He urged residents to report such cases through the 901 call centre or the Police Eye feature on the Dubai Police app, and to channel donations through licensed charities.

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Under the annual Combating Begging campaign, launched in coordination with strategic partners, enforcement has intensified over the past five years.

Between 2021 and 2025, Dubai Police arrested 1,801 beggars. The yearly breakdown includes 458 in 2021, 318 in 2022, 499 in 2023, 320 in 2024 and 206 in 2025, marking a 70 per cent drop over the period.

During Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr in 2025 alone, 222 beggars were arrested in Dubai, including 127 in the first half of the month.

Police say similar patterns are recorded across other emirates. In 2025, Abu Dhabi Police arrested 237 beggars, Sharjah Police 144 and Ras Al Khaimah Police 51 during the same period.

According to police, most of those arrested during Ramadan were visitors on short-term visas. Authorities say the figures point not to isolated incidents but to recurring activity that intensifies during the holy month.

Organised operations

Investigations have repeatedly shown that many beggars do not operate alone.

In May 2025, Dubai Police raided a hotel and arrested 41 Arab nationals who had entered the country on visit visas and were allegedly using the property as a base for coordinated begging activities. More than Dh60,000 was recovered.

In other cases, authorities have uncovered significant sums of money concealed by individuals posing as destitute including Dh25,000 hidden under a prayer mat and, in an earlier case, Dh300,000 discovered in an artificial limb.

Police have also warned about so-called“salaried beggars” or individuals allegedly brought into the country and paid to solicit money, sometimes by faking illness or disability.

A commonly reported approach involves a man approaching vehicles at traffic lights or parking areas with a heavily bandaged arm and a medical prescription, claiming a workplace injury and asking for financial assistance. Authorities say such injuries are often fabricated.

Other variations include individuals attaching fake IV tubes to their bodies to simulate serious illness.

Another recurring tactic is the“stranded family” story, in which drivers in vehicles with neighbouring country plates claim they have run out of fuel or money for food. Police say such approaches are reported regularly, particularly during Ramadan.

The tactics leave many residents unsure whom to trust.“It looked so real, I gave him Dh100 without thinking,” said Dubai resident Ayesha Alam, recalling an encounter in a parking lot.“Now I keep my windows up.”

Another resident recalled a more extreme encounter in Sharjah several years ago.

Nazia Khan said she and her nieces were locked out of their car for nearly two hours after a beggar allegedly superglued the vehicle's doors when she refused to give him money outside a fast-food outlet on Al Ittihad Road.

“He was limping and asking for money. I had seen similar injury claims before and chose to ignore him,” she said.“He muttered something and walked towards my car. When we tried to open the doors later, they wouldn't budge.”

Petrol station attendants were eventually called to force open the jammed doors, she said.

After the incident, Nazia said she refrains from giving cash directly and instead reports suspicious cases through the Police Eye app.

Rise of online begging

Authorities have also warned of digital solicitation. In 2024, around 1,200 online begging cases were detected across the UAE. Dubai Police have cautioned residents against responding to social media appeals requesting money transfers to unknown accounts.

Under Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021, online begging can lead to jail terms of up to three months and fines starting from Dh10,000.

Police reiterated that Ramadan generosity should be directed through licensed charities, warning that direct handouts often sustain organised fraud networks.