RIYADH, 8 February 2008 — Police arrested four people aged between 15 and 26 on suspicion that they belong to a gang of robbers.
It was not immediately known whether the police recovered some stolen items from the four, who were taken into custody on charges of robbery and other criminal acts.
“Those arrested were involved in a number of robbery cases,” said a spokesman for the Riyadh police yesterday.
Police said the men were arrested after a store that sells used car parts in Riyadh’s Rawdah district was robbed at gunpoint.
“The victim called for help and police took action leading to the arrest of the culprits,” said the spokesman.
In another case, a man was arrested on charges of stealing gas from a petrol station. The man did not pay for the fuel he put in his car.
In their ongoing crackdown against crime, police also arrested yesterday two young thieves, aged 18 and 19. Their nationalities have not been disclosed. They were charged with snatching handbags from a moving motorbike in the city.
Shahid Asharf Khan, an Indian, told Arab News he was mugged by four youngsters in Rawdah district. The four men asked Shahid at knife-point to hand over his wallet and other belongings. After taking the cash, they escaped in their car.
In another incident yesterday, mobile phone of a sales executive, Hari Kumar, was snatched by a group of young boys. Of late, a large number of theft and robbery cases have been reported in the local media.
