16 Pakistan ‘beggars’ on way to Saudi arrested in Multan

Sixteen alleged Pakistani beggars disguised as pilgrims were arrested for trying to travel to Saudi Arabia to beg for money. The group, which included women, men, and a child, was offloaded from a Saudi-bound flight in Multan. The beggars were traveling on Umrah visas, which are used for Islamic pilgrimages to Mecca. They confessed to the Federal Investigation Agency that they were going to Saudi Arabia to seek alms and would have to give half of their earnings to their travel agents. The arrests highlight the issue of beggars being trafficked abroad through illegal channels.