A man was arrested for begging for money on Waterloo Street after some members of the public expressed concerns over his behavior. According to Shin Min Daily News, the man was spotted sitting outside Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on December 31.
He has a 7 cm tumor on his jaw, and he walked on crutches because his legs were different lengths.
The man was seated in front of a lamppost and was trying to sell two or three packages of tissue to the passersby.
Several people gave him cash, ranging from $2 to $10, after seeing his infirmities. He was not given any tissues by them.
Shin Min reported that in about ten minutes, the man collected roughly $50. Eventually, a member of the public became aware of his behavior and reported him to the police.
When the police arrived, they started interrogating the man. The man produced what was believed to be a Chinese passport when questioned for identification. After roughly 30 minutes of interrogation, the man was driven away in a police vehicle.
The man, who told the Chinese publication about the incident, was in the vicinity at about noon on Tuesday. He told the publication that he often visits the area and did not recognize the man sitting at the lamppost.
The man, whose last name is Deng, said, "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," the 79-year-old added.
Outside the temple, Deng said, he has witnessed foreigners pleading for money from devotees who want to perform a good act.
He said, "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."
Shin Min also spoke to a man who works nearby and goes by the last name of Xu. He claimed that, particularly on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, he frequently witnesses strangers pleading for money outside the temples.
He said, "We recognize 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."
Police verified that a 42-year-old man was detained under Section 8(3)(a) of the Immigration Act of 1959 for being a barred immigrant in response to AsiaOne's inquiries. Investigations are underway.
A non-Singaporean can be arrested under the Act only if he fits into one of these categories, including regular beggars or vagrants; the person is without a steady job or he is unable to provide for himself and his dependents and likely to fall into poverty.
He can also be arrested if he is having an infectious or contagious illness that could endanger the Singaporean community, having HIV/AIDS or has been found guilty of a crime in any nation and given a prison sentence.
