JEDDAH, 20 May 2004 — Gas stations in the south of Jeddah have come up with a novel way to stop people from leaving without paying — rocks.
Next to every gas pump lies a pile of rocks and the station attendants are serious when they say they will use them against gas thieves that fill their tanks and attempt to escape.
Muhammad Haseeb Shah, who works in a gas station, said, “We only started using this technique after the number of gas thefts increased. In the past, such incidents would only happen late at night once or twice a month. Now it happens nearly every day, even in the middle of the afternoon. We have to pay for the stolen amount from our pocket. We put these rocks here so drivers would see them and think twice before trying to escape without paying.”
Abdul Maleek Muhammad, a Bangladeshi worker, said, “I damaged four cars when I was working in a gas station in Madinah. We developed a profile for the type of person who tries not to pay. They usually come late at night, young men between the ages of 16-29 and traveling with passengers.”
“There was a case where a driver attempted to escape, but before he went very far, I managed to throw a rock at his car breaking his rear window and backlight. He stopped and returned to fight with us. We called the police who arrived quickly and arrested the man. The police did not charge us for the damaged car,” Abdul Maleek said.
Some thieves prefer to escape with the damaged car than be arrested by police. Mansour Ahmad, a Saudi motorist, told Arab News, “I think the sight of rocks near gas pumps is not a healthy one. I understand the problem these workers are going through with gas thieves but what will happen if they throw a rock at a car and injure someone inside? It is easier if they write down the car’s number plate and report them to police.”
Another concern raised was for the absent-minded who sometimes forget to pay. The workers will think that he is trying to escape and end up damaging an innocent man’s car.
