The strangest of crimes keep happening in Karachi. Few months ago, an FIR was lodged at Shah Latif Town regarding disappearance of a school-aged child, Hussain Ali. Lo and behold, this child was spotted begging outside a mosque in the same area together with an adult beggar.
According to police, an uncle of the child had gone to offer prayers at a mosque in Sector A-16 of Shah Latif Town where to his utter surprise he found his missing nephew begging outside the mosque along with a man. The uncle and area residents caught the man, who was beaten and handed over to police. He was identified as Shaharyar.
More strange revelations as during grilling, the arrested person told the police that he did not kidnap the child, but it were his in-laws who had given him the child. On the information extracted from the suspect, the police also arrested the couple pointed out by him. The above story raises several questions that require answers, and in fact uncovers some basic and ugly facts about begging and kidnappings in our sprawling city of Karachi.
The surprising thing in this ugly incident is that the kidnappers were so fearless and bold that they kept the child in the same vicinity and in fact had him begging outside a mosque where most people could spot him, especially during Friday congregation. It is no less than a miracle that no one spotted the child for three months. This incident also raises questions about the hordes of beggars outside our mosques, especially during Friday prayers.
Most of us believe that this gathering is of really poor and destitute people, and we distribute alms without considering if these are really needy people or kidnapped persons being brought to Friday prayers as part of organized collection of alms which fills the pockets with the heads of criminal elements out to hoodwink the soft-hearted amongst us.
It is not just the mosques but shrines of revered saints that are overflowing with beggars of all sorts, with a good gathering of children. It will not be wrong to say that children form the backbone of the beggar mafia in Karachi. I wonder how many times do the law enforcement people try to match pictures of kidnapped children with the ones lying on footpaths at major intersections and outside the shrines of saints or for that matter begging at traffic intersections? Many children are also sitting outside restaurants that dish out eatables on the request of patrons to poor people.
All these places if dutifully screened can perhaps help in the recovery of children who have been plucked out of a decent living and comfortable life to beg on the streets to fill the pockets with criminal gangs. According to some estimates, as many as 3000 children can go missing in a year in Karachi. The sad and tragic part is that since disabled children attract more alms, some of these children are forcibly made disabled by various methods. This is a horror story in itself which should move the concerned authorities to action.
Begging is not an act in isolation that needs to be addressed, but is accompa nied by other crimes such as drug peddling and theft. The drug dealers in major cities find this army of young beggars to do their bidding and carry on their nefarious activities. Gangs of thieves also find child beggars useful tools of their trade, as children can gain entry in places that might be hard for adults to find an entry.
So the journey that perhaps starts with begging outside a mosque can lead to a life of greater crimes and production of hardened criminals. The case in point where abductors of an abducted child did not even bother to take him to another city or even a neighbourhood far away from the place of abduction shows how powerful and strong they have become that they can act with such affront and boldness.
Our religion provides many outlets for relief to the poor. There is for example Zakat which is usually given to poor people or relatives that we know require assistance. Meat to the poor is provided at Eidul Azha and off and on charity takes place throughout the year. Personally, we should ensure that our charitable activities reach the really needy and not to random persons who use it for criminal purposes.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a well-known columnist
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