RIYADH, 27 December 2007 — Burglars have not even spared Sierra Leone’s Ambassador Emadedin Tejansie, whose house in Al-Mursalat district here was burgled Tuesday night and property worth over SR100,000, besides cash, was stolen.

Speaking to Arab News from Makkah, the ambassador said his steward conveyed the news of the theft to him yesterday morning.

His steward, Ibrahim, immediately informed the police who arrived at the house along with forensic experts to take fingerprints and collect other material evidence.

Providing details of the items that are missing, the ambassador said they included his wife’s jewelry, three laptops, costly watches, video cameras, hi-fi systems and a printer, besides more than SR16,000 in cash.

The ambassador said he would be reaching Riyadh today and would then verify missing items and assess the extent of damage done to property as well before estimating the exact amount of loss.

Tejansie, who has been serving as Sierra Leone’s ambassador for over 10 years, is the fifth in seniority in Riyadh’s diplomatic corps.

The high-profile burglary highlights the rash of thefts in the capital, which has recently witnessed a surge in burglaries and armed robberies on an unprecedented scale.

Alarmed by such incidents, community leaders have taken up the matter with Saudi officials as well as diplomatic missions in Riyadh.

A community leader said Dr. Saleh Al-Kathlan, chairman of the follow-up committee of the National Society for Human Rights, assured him that he would submit a proposal to the Shoura Council on preventive measures that could be adopted in crime-ridden areas of the capital.

Shaji Alappuzha, a member of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC), told Arab News that Al-Kathlan advised people to report thefts to the police as soon as possible. Expatriates, however, are reluctant to do so because of the long waits at police stations and the grilling of the complainant by the police. The fear complex also deters them from reporting such cases.

Mohammed Quaiser, president of Tanzeem Hum Hindustani (THH), and M.A. Rasool, vice chairman, Osmania University Old Boys’ NRIs Association and Liaquath Ali Hashmi, general secretary (THH), recently held a meeting with Rajeev Shahare, deputy chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy.

They brought to Shahare’s attention the large number of thefts and assaults on Indian expatriates and called for a separate division to deal with such cases. The embassy has set up a helpline to enable Indian expatriates to report thefts.

on 01-4884697, 01-4881982. They could also contact Balachandran on 4884206 and fax 4810742 aside from the Embassy help line.

All those affected have been asked to submit copies of their complaints with complaint number to the embassy, while those who have not filed a claim have been asked do so through the embassy’s channels to bring such cases to the attention of the authorities.