Spokesman for Qassim police Lt. Col. Fahd Al-Habdan told reporters on Friday that officers arrested the men while they were fleeing in a car with a steel safe containing valuable goods, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

The gang members confessed to police that they were involved in 278 armed robberies involving cash and goods worth SR5.54 million.

They robbed shops, rest houses, goat farms, cars and houses. All stolen goods recovered will be returned to its owners. There are also many crimes that victims did not report to the police, Al-Habdan said. Investigations are under way.