Police in Makueni county have arrested six Tanzanian beggars in Wote town who are believed to be part of an extortion ring duping residents.
The suspects were arrested on Sunday following a public outcry about the influx of disabled beggars in the town.
County police commander Joseph Ole Naipeyan named the foreigners as Minza Mboje (aged 31) Regina Martin (26) Rehema Juma (30) Robi Marwa(60) Maria Maningu (62) and John Sivendi (27).
He said they had been placed in strategic positions within town to beg for money from residents.
“We were acting on a tip from members of the public who had noticed an unusual increase in the number of beggars with disability in the town. We conducted a crackdown and arrested the six,” the county commander said.
Naipeyan said preliminary investigations indicated the beggars were used by unscrupulous people to make money.
Naipeyan said the suspects who were held at the Wote police station would be arraigned once investigations are through.