An “amputee” beggar in China got more than he bargained for, when an irate passer-by decided to pull off his pants.
The beggar was seen begging on a street in the city of Altay in Xinjiang, northwest China, said the South China Morning Post, quoting a report posted on the People’s Daily’s WeChat account.
A video of the incident uploaded by Shangahaiist to its Facebook page on July 1 has since been viewed some six million times.
In the clip, the “amputee” beggar moves about with the aid of a trolley which he lies on stomach-side down.
A man is seen bending over and speaking to the beggar. He then begins poking and prodding the man’s “stumps”, asking the man whether what he is doing is right.
“It’s not right to cheat people,” he can be heard saying in Mandarin, in the video, as passers-by inquire what he is doing to the beggar.
He begins to pull off the beggar’s pants, revealing that the latter’s lower limbs are, in fact, intact. His legs are crossed and tucked into a pair of boxers, to make it appear as if he is an amputee.
By this time, a crowd of people have stopped to watch the commotion.
After the beggar’s ruse is exposed, the man is heard yelling at him: “Is it right to deceive people like this?”
Sina Weibo
The beggar then rolls away on his trolley, with his legs still tucked inside his boxer shorts.
Reactions on Facebook were mixed.
Some users felt the man should not have pulled off the beggar’s pants in public, while others thought he deserved it.
Said Facebook user Mark Patterson: “This punk is playing on the emotions of others by faking that he is missing his legs. Glad he was exposed as the fraud he is!”
Facebook user Robert Kulikowski, however, thought it was not right to humiliate the beggar.
“How do we know if the man’s legs aren’t paralysed? If you think it’s a scam don’t give him money, but don’t humiliate the man,” he wrote.
xiuhuil@sph.com.sg
See also:
Group of beggars in China leading lavish lifestyles
Should you ever give money to a beggar in the streets?
German ‘beggar’ with swollen leg caught having fun in Pattaya
One-armed beggar makes $142 a day
‘Crippled’ aunty asks for $10 at Admiralty MRT – then walks away normally after getting it
