The Dubai Municipality recently nabbed a beggar who was making as much as Dh270,000 per month.

Faisal Al Badiawi, head of markets section at the municipality, said in a statement that 59 beggars were caught during the first three months of 2016.

The beggars were nabbed as part of a campaign recently carried out by the Dubai Municipality in cooperation with the emirate's police.

"Some of the beggars had passports issued with business or tourist visas. During the campaign, we found that the majority of beggars had entered the country legally with a three-month visa, in order to collect as much money as they could during their time here," he said.

"We discovered that one beggar was making more than Dh270,000 a month. We found that he earned an average of almost Dh9,000 per day ...

"More money was collected on Fridays when beggars stood in front of mosques," said Al Badiawi.

The municipality has been carrying out campaigns to combat begging in Dubai, especially just before and during Ramadan.

Residents can report beggars to the police on 800-243.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com