According to the verdict, the first accused was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with 1,000 lashes,while the other two were each jailed for eight years and were sentenced to 1,000 lashes.

The police said that the arrest of the criminals was made because of a complaint made by a Saudi man whose house in Olaya was burgled. The thieves broke the back door of the villa and escaped with gold jewelry, expensive watches, electronic items and  cash from the safe. Investigations revealed that the robbers entered the house after disconnecting the power supply.

According to police, the men admitted that they were responsible for a series of burglaries in Riyadh. The police recovered a number of stolen items from their possession.

In a similar development, police are looking for another gang which broke into a factory in Aziziyah last month and stole more than SR100,000 in cash and electronic items.

The robbery occurred on a weekend and the thieves apparently entered the factory after the last person on duty left. The officer personally checked all doors and ensured that they were properly locked before he left the office on Thursday evening.

The management discovered the theft only when they reported for work on Saturday.