JEDDAH, 7 November 2004 — Police caught a professional Arab pickpocket in Makkah recently while he was taking SR10 from a pilgrim’s pocket near a fast food shop, Okaz newspaper reported yesterday. Security officers later found that the thief was staying in a big hotel and was in possession of SR40,000 and 8,000 Egyptian pounds in cash, 20 mobile handsets, several mobile chips, driving licenses, and resident permits (iqamas) of expatriate workers. The arrest came as police closely watched the man’s movements after receiving calls from his victims who had lost their valuables, the paper said.