Hyderabad: The city police have successfully dismantled a begging racket, resulting in the rescue of 23 beggars from various intersections.

Acting on credible information, the West Zone Task Force team under the Commissioner's office, in collaboration with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Hyderabad, Jubilee Hills Police, local NGOs, and leaders of the "Smile Project," managed to rescue 23 beggars from different intersections.

Additionally, they apprehended the ringleader of the begging operation, Anil Pawar, a resident of Fathenagar and a native of Gulbarga, Karnataka state, on Thursday.

Several other individuals, including Ramu, Raghu, Dharmender, and others, all hailing from Gulbarga, Karnataka State, are still at large in connection with the case, as stated in a police release issued on Saturday.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Anil Pawar and the other absconding individuals were exploiting vulnerable members of their community, such as poor women, minor children, widows, the elderly, and the physically handicapped, to collect alms at various traffic junctions spanning from Tadbun to Hitech City.

The police found that Anil Pawar provided intoxicated or adulterated toddy to the children, inducing them to sleep and gain sympathy from passersby, thus facilitating their alms collection at different traffic signals throughout Hyderabad.

During the operation, eight two-wheelers that were used to transport the beggars to various locations were seized.

Anil Pawar was reported to be earning around Rs 4,500 to 6,000 per day solely at the Jubilee Hills check post. In return, he paid each beggar a paltry Rs 200 as their daily wage.

(With UNI inputs)