NEW DELHI: An elderly beggar was found unconscious on Khushab Road in
Pakistan Punjab's Sargodha district by the Rescue 1122 team, with over Rs 0.5 million (1,60,544 INR) in his pocket. The man was carrying PKR 534,000 and a passport indicating multiple trips to Saudi Arabia.
Upon discharge from the hospital, he retrieved his money and belongings, according to Geo News.
Residents in the area informed the rescue team that this man had been begging regularly in the same vicinity.
In September last year, concerns had been raised about Pakistani nationals exploiting Umrah visas for begging in Saudi Arabia. According to The News report, the ministry of overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development reported this issue to the Senate Committee on Overseas Pakistanis.
At a standing committee meeting, the secretary of the ministry of overseas Pakistanis stated that 90% of beggars detained in foreign countries were Pakistanis. "The Iraqi and Saudi ambassadors have reported that their jails were overcrowded due to these arrests,” he told the senate committee. “Most of the pickpockets caught inside the Masjid Al Haram in Saudi Arabia were of Pakistani origin, and they exploited the Umrah visas for begging purposes."