KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — A Chinese national, who lives the high life earning an average of RM56,000 a month masterminding an international human trafficking syndicate which exploited physically impaired beggars, was nabbed by police yesterday.
Following intelligence gathered days before, the 44-year-old man known as Dauyo was arrested during Ops Beggars at a hotel in Jalan Petaling, where the beggars were being out up.
City police chief Datuk Amar Singh said 14 Chinese beggars aged 21 to 53 with various physical disabilities were rescued after they were tricked into begging for the syndicate in night and morning markets around the city since six months ago.
“We believed they were tricked into coming here by the brother of the mastermind, based in Sichuan, who promised them work,” he said.
Amar said a local agent and five taxi drivers aged 44 to 70, who were hired by Dauyo as transporters, were also picked up.
He said Dauyo took an average of RM4,000 per beggar at the end of the month as each beggar made about RM700 daily.
“The suspect did not have to work at all as a steady flow of income from the beggars was being channelled back to him,” Amar said.
The beggars, who worked in two shifts — from 6.30am to 11.30am and from 6.30pm to 11.30pm — would pay about RM50 daily for accommodation and transport to their designated begging spots.
The beggars would seek alms from passers-by by singing songs through a mobile speaker and karaoke set.
Investigations revealed five of the beggars had expired Chinese passports and nine did not have valid travelling documents.
Some of the beggars have been in the country since 2014.
The beggars have been placed in shelter homes while the suspects are under remand.
