JEDDAH, 21 May 2005 — Security forces yesterday rounded up 1,750 illegals and criminals during a security crackdown on a Jeddah neighborhood, the fourth such operation in the city in less than one month.
Police said some of those arrested were involved in serious crimes such as forging travel documents while others were engaged in immoral practices as well as black magic. They included Asians, Africans and Arab nationals.
More than 700 officers from the Passport Department, patrol police and other security agencies along with support forces took part in the operation during which they raided hundreds of houses and shops in the Kilo 7 area on Makkah Road.
The illegals were taken to the deportation center where they will be fingerprinted before being sent back to their home countries. They will be prevented from entering the country again, a security source said.
Saudi and expatriate residents said the operation helped cleanse the neighborhood of illegal activities.
In a related development, an unspecified number of illegals involved in the sales of pornographic CDs were arrested in downtown Balad yesterday.
Police said the alleged criminals made copies of pornographic photos from Internet sites and sold them locally. More than 4,000 CDs were seized.
