Police has arrested a fake ‘amputated’ street beggar identified as Mpagi Shafik Bakulu a resident of Kisenyi, Muzana zone who was begging for cash in the city. This came following a tip off from his close friend who saw him begging at the entrance of Mukwano Arcade with a faked amputated hand.
Police rushed at the scene and ordered him to remove the cloths he had covered his hand with and all the by-passers were shocked.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said Mpagi has been covering his hand with dirty rugs faking to be amputated in order to collect as much money as he can from the unsuspecting sympathisers.
“There are a number of people that pretend to be needy through begging on the streets just the same way as Mpagi has been doing therefore kind hearted and well meaning people are in danger of being misled,” Owoyesigyire said.
Mpagi revealed that he had been into the begging business for three months saying he was making Shs20000 everyday especially from areas of equatorial Mall and Mukwano Arcade and attributed this act to joblessness.
Mpagi is currently being detained at Mini Price Police Station and charged with public nuisance vide SD 21/24/06/2018.
Police were responding to a spike in the number of fake beggars operating in the city.