A Dubai beggar was earning AED 270,000 ($73,500) a month, a Dubai Municipality official has stated.

Faisal Al Badiawi, head of markets section at the Dubai Municipality, said in a statement that that 59 beggars were caught during the first three months of 2016.

The municipality has been carrying a campaign in cooperation with the emirate's police to combat begging in Dubai.

"Some of the beggars had passports issued with business or tourist visas. During the campaign, we found that the majority of beggars had entered the country legally with a three-month visa, in order to collect as much money as they could during their time here," Al Badiawi told local media.

"We discovered that one beggar was making more than AED 270,000 a month. We found that he earned an average of almost AED 9,000 per day.

"More money was collected on Fridays when beggars stood in front of mosques.”

Residents can report beggars to the police on 800-243.