JEDDAH, 26 February 2005 — A raid of a Bani Malik residence has resulted in the seizure of forged iqamas and passports and the arrest of an Asian expatriate.
Security authorities started looking for the source of forged documents after fraudulent iqamas were discovered selling for SR2,000 on the black market. After a monthlong investigation, a suspect was identified and the raid carried out. Security sources told Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News, that the forger, identified only as Hussein, had collected more than SR400,000 through this illegal business.
Agents confiscated 23 iqamas, 16 Pakistani passports, a European driving license and passport, stamps of five nonexistent companies and SR45,000 in cash from the man after raiding the hideout in the Bani Malik area of Jeddah.
The suspect allegedly forged stamps of government departments and issued fake passports and iqamas to a number of Arab and Asian workers in the Kingdom.
“We collected information about the forger and identified his residence in Bani Malik,” said Col. Mohsen Al-Odwani, director of the anti-forgery department in the Makkah Region. Police also found eight stamps of the Passport Department in Makkah, 13 iqama renewal stickers, a Spanish bank document, an Egyptian passport, three mobile phone chips and stamps and publications of private companies from the man’s hideout.
Odwani said the forger has admitted his crime and his involvement in distributing forged iqamas at the rate of SR2,000 each.
The colonel commended the officers from the Investigation Section for combating forgery and called upon Saudis and expatriates to inform them about forgers and other criminals.
A number of seminars and conferences have been held to raise community awareness about the dangers of forgery and its effect on the economy and national security. The amount of money made in the Kingdom through forgery is estimated at more than SR1 billion.
