PETALING JAYA: Bazaars have become a convenient haunt for unscrupulous individuals and groups looking to exploit the generosity of Malaysians to make a quick buck.
A TikTok user with the handle @ezzuchang recently uncovered such a racket at a Ramadan bazaar in Ipoh, Perak.
In a video that has since gone viral, @ezzuchang claimed that one such group was using senior citizens as beggars, according to Majoriti, a sister portal of The Star.
@ezzuchang posted a video of an 85-year-old woman begging by the roadside.
Following her as she left, @ezzuchang saw her enter the back seat of a white car driven by a man, with a woman in the front passenger seat.
Upon confronting the man, @ezzuchang discovered that the older woman was a Cambodian citizen.
Under persistent questioning, the man eventually admitted that the woman was his grandmother and that he sent her to the bazaar daily to beg.
@ezzuchang, audible in the video, sternly warned the man against continuing this practice, saying, “Don’t try to find an easy way to make money. Pity your grandmother, she is an elderly person.”
According to Majoriti, it is unclear whether the TikTok user had lodged a report with the authorities about his confrontation.
At press time, there has been no official response from the authorities on the matter.
