The demolished bridges include one close to the Grand Mosque’s Masa'a, the Iron Bridge from Ajyad Hospital to Marwa and a bridge in Mina. The thefts took place in broad daylight with those involved using forged documents to gain access to the metal. Ten of the accused are government officials, including senior municipality officials, a police lieutenant colonel, a pilot and a retired brigadier.

Director of Makkah Police Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Hamzi said those found to have a substantial case against them would be handed over to the Court of Grievances for trial. The accused also include Indians, Bangladeshis, Syrians and Sudanese. The 31 people are accused of taking metal from municipality yards in Makkah and then selling it to private companies in Jeddah. Officials from Makkah municipality and police officers are accused of misusing their official positions to carry out the scam.

Meanwhile, three other men also accused of involvement in a similar metal scam recently pleaded innocence in front of a Makkah court. Two of the men say they had been cheated into parting with their money after being asked to invest in the steel industry. In his defense, one of the men, A, said Makkah municipality was aware they had purchased the scrap metal. “A supervisor informed Makkah municipality about the transportation of steel from its yard in Muzdalifah. But the municipality wasn’t bothered,” he said.

The second accused, B, said he was not aware of fraudulent activity when he invested around SR70,000 into the business. “Someone persuaded me to invest. I was lured into making the deal after being promised huge profits,” he added.

“After sometime, I spoke to the guy and found his response unsatisfactory. I felt something unusual was happening. In the meantime, I was summoned to the Makkah governorate and questioned about the deal," he said. B said he had informed the investigation committee at the Makkah governorate that he was not involved in any foul play. “I made the investments in a transparent manner. The third accused, C, gave me two documents — one yellow and the other green — purportedly from the Ministry of Communications and explained that he has permission to buy steel directly from the municipality,” he said.

A also disclosed that B told him that he had some problems with C and that it was because of this that they had not received their profits. When B contacted C to get back his original investment, C informed police and all three of them were arrested.

“B and myself told police that we had no knowledge of foul play and that we were simply investors,” said A. A and B then gave police a written assurance pleading their innocence. It was also pointed out that C was present when trucks transported metal from yards belonging to the Makkah municipality and the Ministry of Transport to private steel companies in Jeddah.

It was also learned that the transportation of steel was halted following problems between C and his customers in Jeddah. As a result, police in Jeddah confiscated four truckloads of steel. In his defense, C said he bought steel from the Ministry of Transport and that documents proving the transaction had been stolen from his car.