RIYADH, 4 September 2007 — Six non-Saudis aged between 27 and 32 were arrested here after they kidnapped a foreigner, believed to be an Asian, and robbed him of his money before fleeing the Eastern Province, Riyadh police announced yesterday.
In a statement provided to Arab News, police said that authorities in Riyadh were notified by the Eastern Province police of a kidnap and robbery that had taken place there.
Authorities in the Eastern Province said the suspects had fled the region and most likely escaped to Riyadh. The police also said they had found the foreigner tied up in a remote area and that he had informed the police that his abductors had taken all his money.
Riyadh police launched an extensive manhunt and arrested a suspect in one of the districts of the city. The man had bought a ticket and planned to leave the country on the day of his arrest.
“The suspect at first denied any wrongdoing but at a later stage of the interrogation confessed that he, along with five of his friends, had abducted the man in Alkhobar in the Eastern Province,” the police statement said. The man was given his share of the stolen money when the group divided the spoils.
After obtaining information from the suspect, the police raided the hideouts of his accomplices. Several briefcases, gold coins, expensive watches and electrical equipment as well as large sums of cash were seized.
Police confiscated all the stolen items and arrested the other members of the gang who are now in police custody. They are expected to be handed over to the authorities in the Eastern Province.
