The daylight robbery caused panic among expatriates living in the Sarafiyah area, situated in the district of Nasseriyah.

In the past, expatriates in the neighborhood have been robbed near their homes at night on their way home after work.

They have had their mobile phones, purses and even laptops snatched from them by these local urchins.

The father of the assaulted children told Arab News on Friday that he and his wife, who is a teacher at neighboring community school, had left for work in the morning. His two boys, aged 10 and 15, had not gone to school as they were preparing for their term test.

“The robbers entered the house through the balcony at 11 a.m. covering their faces. They first assaulted my two boys and then demanded the keys to the wardrobe. Out of fear, my second son had even given his savings of SR700 to the robbers pleading that they do not harm him further.”

The father added that at the time there were no men in the apartment block, only three other housewives.

He said that his next-door neighbor, who was also robbed by the same group down the road as he returned from work, had vacated his house in fear, two months before the expiry of the lease.

The same street robbers mugged an Asian electrician who was walking on the same street and took his mobile.

Wail, one of the two boys assaulted by the robbers, told Arab News that he and his brother was fast asleep when the robbers entered and woke them up to get the keys to the wardrobes.

“We thought that the thieves would kill us if we did not obey them.”

The father said his sons were not able to tell police who the robbers were as they had covered their faces.  The local imam told Arab News that he was sad that these things were happening continuously. “The police should intensify their patrols and bring these unscrupulous thugs to justice,” he said.

Local real estate owner Ahmed said it would be difficult to rent out houses due to the robberies.

“Respectable and budget-conscious people come to Nasseriyah district because of the low rent compared to other areas in the city.”

The other side of the road is home to the Nasseriyah walking area and garden, which was opened by Riyadh Mayor Abdul Aziz Al-Ayyaf last month.

It is popular with members of the public unaware that the street adjacent to the garden is increasingly becoming a haven for thieves.