KUWAIT CITY, June 4, (KUNA): Any expat caught panhandling during Ramadan will be subjected to immediate deportation, said a press statement by the Ministry of Interior on Saturday.

The Ministry of Interior has set in place a plan, in conjunction with the Kuwait Municipality and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, to track down panhandlers in areas known for their congregation such as near mosques, shopping centers, malls, certain neighborhoods, to name a few, said the statement.

It added that the Ministry of Interior is launching a public awareness campaign, through the media and social networks, to encourage people to turn in any panhandler they may accost by calling the emergency No. 112 or contacting the nearest police station or police officer.

Moreover, the statement cautioned those who may be tempted to eat food in public during the hours of fasting in Ramadan that such an act would be in violation of the law, necessitating the offender to be jailed for a month or pay a fi ne of KD 100 or serve the jail term and pay the fine concomitantly.