ABHA, 18 September 2007 — Police had to rescue a bank employee at a local bank here after angry customers threatened to beat him up. The problem started when one of the bank’s ATM machines malfunctioned and began to swallow ATM cards. Irate customers complained to the employee and demanded that their cards be returned. The bank employee, upon opening the ATM machine, indeed found several ATM cards. However due to bank policy, he refused to hand over the ATM cards and said they would be turned over to the bank and then back to their rightful owners. The angry customers at first pleaded with the employee to give them back their cards because they needed them for Ramadan shopping. They then gave the employee an ultimatum: Hand over the cards or get beaten up. Police were called to the scene to control the angry crowd and save the bank employee from a beating. Officers instructed the customers to follow bank protocol and wait for the cards to be returned to them.