The police have launched a special operation to apprehend people involved in begging as part of a business, says DIG Ajith Rohana.

Speaking to ‘Derana Aruna’ live programme this morning (17), the police spokesperson said legal action will also be taken against motorists under Article 59 of the National Thoroughfare Act for giving money to beggars at traffic lights.

He pointed out that nearly 95 per cent of these beggars operating in Colombo and suburbs are not genuine, adding that they hand over the collected money to another person who is in charge at the end of the day.

“We will file cases against beggars who are a part of a business. Motorists obstructing the passage of vehicles along the road by giving money to them when the green light is on at traffic signals is also an offence under Article 59 of the National Thoroughfare Act.”

The crackdown comes after concerns were rife about the transmission of novel coronavirus and other diseases from the beggars to the general public recently.