AL-JOUF, 21 December — Passport officials have arrested 950 foreigners of Arab and Asian origin found to be begging in public places.
The Passports Department had stepped up patrols in the streets and rounded up beggars who pestered people at public places such as mosques, commercial centers and traffic intersections, said Captain Ahmad Al-Nosairy, director of general affairs in Al-Jouf Passports Department.
Some of the arrested beggars had entered the country illegally, said Al-Nosairy. The operations were carried out as part of a campaign in Rafha in the Northern Border region and Al-Qurayat in Al-Jouf.
Meanwhile, police in Madinah have arrested 275 beggars from several markets, commercial centers and public places.
Maj. Gen. Hosni Al-Muhammadi, director of the Passports Department in Madinah, said police also arrested 39 expatriate traders who violated the labor regulations by running business establishments on their own.
