Saudi to deport expats caught begging

Saudi Arabia has decided to immediately deport expatriates caught begging in the Gulf Kingdom, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry warned Saudis and foreigners against helping beggars on the grounds some of them use the money for "suspect purposes".

"Expatriates caught begging will be immediately deported no matter what their nationality is," the statement said.

More than 1,000 beggars, including Saudis, were arrested by Saudi police in 2014 as begging is banned in the Kingdom and other Gulf oil producers.

Nearly 10 million expatriates live in Saudi Arabia, accounting for around a third of the total population of 30 million.

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