A man begging for money along Waterloo Street was arrested by the police after some members of the public raised doubts about his behaviour. 

The man, who has a 7cm tumour on his jaw, was seen sitting outside Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Dec 31, reported Shin Min Daily News. With legs of different lengths, he relied on crutches to walk.

Seated in front of a lamppost, the man would hold two to three packets of tissue in his hand, attempting to sell them to passers-by. 

Upon seeing his disabilities, several people handed him cash, ranging from $2 to $10. They did not take any tissues from him. 

According to Shin Min, the man received about $50 in the span of 10 minutes. 

His actions eventually caught the attention of member of the public who called the police on him. 

Officers arrived at the scene and took the man aside for questioning. When asked for his identification, the man pulled out a passport believed to be from China. 

The questioning continued for about half an hour before the man was taken away in a police car. 

A man surnamed Deng, who alerted the Chinese daily to the incident, was in the vicinity at about noon on Dec 31. 

The 79-year-old said that he frequents the area, and did not recognise the man sitting at the lamppost. 

“I suspected that he’s a foreigner, so I called the police. But I told the officers not to give him a hard time if he’s a Singaporean who needs help.

“However, if he’s a foreigner begging for money illegally, then they should take action against him so as to deter others from doing the same.” 

Deng added that he has seen foreigners begging for money outside the temple, targeting devotees who wish to do a good deed.

“They sell tissues illegally and affect locals who make a living by selling tissue, so I hope the authorities can strengthen law enforcement against them.”

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Shin Min also spoke to a man surnamed Xu, who works nearby. He said he often sees unfamiliar faces begging for money outside the temples, especially on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. 

“We recognise the regulars who sell tissues here, so it’s easy to spot a new face. They’re sometimes alone or in groups, but they don’t have a regular schedule,” he said. 

Man arrested as prohibited immigrant 

In response to AsiaOne’s queries, the police confirmed that a 42-year-old man was arrested for being a prohibited immigrant under Section 8(3)(a) of the Immigration Act of 1959. 

They added that investigations are ongoing. 

Under the Act, a person who is not a Singapore citizen that falls into these categories can be arrested: 

• Vagrants or habitual beggars 
• Unable to support himself and his dependants, with no definite employment and will likely become a pauper 
• Suffering from a contagious or infectious disease, which can make him a danger to the Singapore community 
• Suffering from Aids or HIV 
• Have been convicted of a crime in any country and sentenced to a prison term 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com