The Northern Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), has called on the public to stop giving alms to deaf and dumb beggars who solicit for funds with envelopes.

It described such people as “unscrupulous”, and said they were unauthorised to beg for funds on behalf of the Association.

The Association said it had resolved to ensure that such miscreants were taken off the streets, and called on members of the public to desist from giving alms to such people.

Mr Sumani Bapio Ibrahim, the Northern Regional branch Chairman of the GNAD, made the call at a meeting on Sunday in Tamale.

He said, “The monies collected were never used for the intended purposes but rather spent on alcohol and some immoral behaviours”.

The branch chairman said such beggars were mostly foreigners who disguised themselves as deaf and dumb to solicit for funds from individuals.

Mr Ibrahim appealed to the Ghana Police Service to arrest such people who are found begging on the street with cards and envelops and indicated that such practices were offensive.

He further called on corporate bodies to support the Association to improve on the living conditions of its members in the region.