Sixty-year-old Fatima managed to smuggle herself into the country at least 10 times before.
Since last Ramadan until the moment she was arrested, she managed to wire more than SR80,000 back home.
Fatima chose the central area in Makkah as the best location to beg for money. She said that the area is alive and full of people and an attractive location especially during weekends. Fatima became an attraction herself to many of the visitors because of her small size. She is reportedly 50 centimeters tall.
Some visitors wanted to take a picture with her, while the way she looks also drove many people to give her more money.
Local daily Eqtisadiah talked to Fatima at the deportation center. She said she came to Jeddah every year by smuggling herself in. She said that she loves Saudi Arabia because people donate too much money to beggars. Although she was deported more than 10 times before, she always managed to find her way back every year.
Saad Al-Shahrani, head of the anti-beggary department in Makkah, said Fatima was arrested recently when she was moving from one location to another. She managed to attract the sympathy of many people because of her height. Al-Shahrani said that she hired an 18-year-old boy to watch out for officials, and protect and transport her from one location to another. The young boy was receiving SR1,000 a month in salary.
Initial investigations with Fatima revealed that she was making around SR5,000 a week. Her brother living in Saudi Arabia and providing Fatima with food and shelter was taking the money and transferring it abroad to her family.
Al-Shahrani warned people against giving money to these beggars who invent stories to win sympathy. He said instead the money would be donated to a registered charity society that helps people in genuine need.
