Inside India’s Beggar Mafia: The Shocking Truth You Need to Know
Begging is often seen as a symbol of poverty, helplessness, or societal failure. But what if the person you handed money to on the street wasn’t just poor—but a victim of a brutal, organized crime network? Welcome to the dark underworld of India’s Beggar Mafia, where human trafficking, child abuse, and physical torture are all part of a billion-rupee industry.
A Disturbing Reality Unfolds
In 2015, authorities in Andhra Pradesh discovered that children were being rented for ₹300 per day to be used for begging. These children were drugged to stay silent, passed around different beggars, and often returned unconscious at the end of the day.
In Chennai, women dressed as saints (in saffron robes) would beg at temples. Afterward, they would switch into burqas and head to mosques. This wasn’t devotion—it was disguise, all orchestrated by a criminal network.
This is not just poverty. This is organized crime.
Meet the Victim: Suresh Manji’s Story
Suresh, a young man from Bihar, traveled to Kanpur in search of work. He was befriended by a man named Vijay, who drugged him and sold him for ₹70,000 to a gang. What followed was horrific:
- He was blinded using chemicals
- His fingers were mutilated
- He was kept starved, given just two rotis a day
- His teeth were broken deliberately
All to make him look more pitiful—more profitable as a beggar. Once he was too weak to beg, he was discarded. His own family didn’t recognize him when he was sent back.
The Scale of the Mafia
According to the Indian government, there are over 400,000 beggars in the country. Many are educated—some even hold diplomas and degrees. But the beggar mafia traps them using:
- Trafficking
- Drug addiction
- False promises of jobs
- Family manipulation
This industry generates nearly ₹1.5 trillion every year.
Why Do People Beg? A Study Speaks Out
A study by the Institute for Human Development and Delhi Government (2021) found:
Most Beg Due to Helplessness:
- Poverty: 62%
- Unemployment: 45%
- Old Age / Disability: 24%
- Widowhood: 6%
- Addiction: 3%
Some Do It by Choice:
- Easy money: 12%
- Habit: 7%
- Hereditary reasons: 6%
- Religious motives: 3%
Many beggars also work part-time as:
- Daily labourers
- Rickshaw pullers
- Vendors
- Security guards
How Much Do Beggars Really Earn?
Forget the myth of “rich beggars.” Here’s what the numbers say:
- 32% earn less than ₹100/day
- 33% earn between ₹100–₹200/day
- 22% earn between ₹200–₹400/day
- Only 1% earn more than ₹400/day
Even this money is taken by the gang leaders. The beggars get a fraction, often just enough to survive.
How Mafias Exploit People
- Children are kidnapped or rented
- Drugged with cough syrup, sleeping pills, or opium
- Forced to starve so they appear weak and sad
- Beaten or mutilated if they don’t collect enough money
- Women and children are most often targeted
One Delhi NGO revealed that some mothers are told to keep their children crying, because a crying child earns more sympathy—and more cash.
City Territories and Gang Control
Begging spots are divided like mafia zones:
- Temples
- Mosques
- Railway stations
- Traffic junctions
- Markets
If a new beggar enters without permission, they are threatened, beaten, or worse.
So, What Can We Do?
- Stop giving cash on the streets. It might go to a mafia, not the beggar.
- Support verified NGOs and rehabilitation centers
- Report suspicious activity involving children or injured beggars
- Demand stricter action against human trafficking
Let’s Be Aware. Let’s Be Human.
Begging is not always a choice. Sometimes, it's a sentence—forced upon people by criminals who view human lives as profit machines.
Your one coin might be encouraging a crime. Let’s choose compassion with caution.
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