YANBU: Police in Yanbu have arrested a gang of 32 Asian workers at a private company who stole electricity wires, cables and underground pipes from a housing compound in the Al-Aqfiya neighborhood of the city.
The men then sold the fittings to another Asian worker. The theft was reported by a Saudi man who rented the compound from Yanbu Municipality. Police said the men also stole electricity fuse boxes and water fittings, and dug holes in the ground to steal sewage and water pipes.
“The investor described the crime as a massive sabotaging operation. He estimated his losses at around SR1.5 million,” said a police spokesman.
He added that the head of the gang selected his compatriots to work for him and excluded people of other nationalities to keep a lid on their criminal activities. Stolen fittings would be taken to an abandoned home and then sold.
A Saudi man, who noticed the theft by chance while passing the compound, informed the investor who was in Riyadh at the time. “Police arrested the gang within 24 hours of the crime being reported. Police monitored the place and noticed five members of the gang returning to the location. When police moved in to arrest them, the men tried to escape,” said a police spokesman.
“The arrested men then led police to the rest of the gang,” he said, adding that the gang leader was also found in possession of tools used to cut wires and pipes.
The men admitted to the thefts when questioned. Police brought translators to interpret their confessions and alerted the company the men work for. “Once investigations are over, the case will be transferred to the General Prosecution and Investigation Board,” said the spokesman.
