Tourist burns his hand to beg for money

An Asian who entered the UAE on a tourist visa was caught begging in Abu Dhabi, after burning his hand, to make money, a newspaper said Sunday.

A police patrol in the city centre seized the unidentified man after noticing that he was not feeling well and had a burned left hand as he begged the shoppers, the semi official Arabic language daily 'Al Ittihad' said.

“Investigation showed he had entered the UAE on a tourist visa issued by a tourism company. After searching him, we found Dh618, his passport with an expired visa, a mobile phone and small holy Qurans," the paper quoted Colonel Al Shuraifi, Director of the Capital Police, as saying.

“The beggar admitted that he intentionally burned his left hand with the gas cooker to convince people to help him. He claimed he did not know begging is banned in this country.”