Mad about housemaids: Police have arrested a 20-year-old Saudi youth in Madinah for allegedly breaking into houses and assaulting housemaids. The police tracked down the man after receiving a complaint. Maj. Gen. Yousuf Al-Binayyan, director of Madinah police, said security officers were questioning the youth and will pass the case on to the local court. (AN)
Rip-off in police guise: Madinah police have arrested three Saudi youths, who disguised as policemen ripped off expatriates walking alone along deserted streets. The police hunted down the gang members after receiving a number of complaints about their activities. An expatriate laborer who was robbed of SR9,000 was their latest victim. The police who grew suspicious of some youths monitored their movements secretly. An officer who followed one of the suspects stopped the youth when he was found leaving a deserted building. The officer discovered the youth was hiding cash under his cap and arrested him. The youth confessed to his crimes and led the police to his accomplices.
District chief grilled for beating up elderly: Police in Makkah are questioning a district chief accused of beating an old Saudi citizen following a land dispute. Muhammad Al-Ansari, the alleged victim, claims that he holds the deeds to a plot of land used by the governorate. He said Faisal Al-Qurashi — the district chief of the Shuhada district in Makkah — beat him on his left eye when he tried to prove his claim. As a result, Ansari says he fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital. However, Qurashi denies the report and says that the governorate has taken the ownership deeds for the land from Ansari. (AN)
School air-conditioner explodes: An air-conditioner exploded in a secondary school in the Janadriya district of Riyadh recently, caused by heavy pressure on the electricity line. The blast did not cause any injuries to either teachers or students, but the school director collapsed from smoke inhalation. (AN)
Fake currency seized: Officials from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in Abha say they have confiscated a number of forged Saudi banknotes in use in areas close to the Yemeni border. Abdullah Al-Omry, director of the SAMA office in Abha, warned Saudis and expatriates against using such forged money. “If it is proved that the forged currencies were issued through a bank, the bank will be fined five times the value of the forged currency,” he told Arab News.
Settling bad debt at gunpoint: Police in the southern city of Baljurashi are holding a Saudi man for allegedly demanding money from another man at gunpoint. The incident took place in Banu Salim village following a financial dispute between the two men. Police sealed off roads out of the area soon after receiving a call about the incident and arrested the man shortly afterward. (AN)
Student shoots at school director: A secondary school student in the Jouf region recently opened fire on a school director because the latter had transferred him to another school. Barjas Al-Shammary, the director, said the youth came to his house in a car with another person at 1 a.m. demanding to be readmitted to the school. On refusing to do so, the youth fired six shots at him. One bullet hit the director’s leg. The culprit and his accomplice were arrested when they refused to pay for gas at a nearby filling station.
Thief installs anti-robbery warning in stolen car: A Saudi from Riyadh accidentally stumbled upon his stolen car at a workshop in Jeddah when the thief was installing an anti-robbery warning system in it. Security authorities in Yanbu, meanwhile, arrested three teenagers for allegedly stealing seven cars in the city and transferred them to an observation center. In another incident, police in Dammam recently arrested three Saudi youths for stealing a taxi cab after beating up its expatriate driver. The youths were arrested after a major manhunt was mounted by patrol police in the city.
Boy rescued from sewage drain: A six-year-old boy who fell in a sewage drain close to a market in Ahsa last Monday escaped death, thanks to the speedy action of a local resident. The Saudi youth clambered down the drain, brought the boy back to the surface and provided him with first aid.
