These businesses are a cause for concern because they are fixing cars damaged in accidents without obtaining permits from the traffic departments.

They are also used by car thieves who bring in stolen vehicles to change their appearance. They also sell stolen spare parts to these businesses.

These illegal car repair shops are located in the middle of neighborhoods and away from the eyes of the local authorities.

If there are no shops available, the overstayers turn the sidewalks into an area to fix cars. The illegal shops exist in number of neighborhoods such as Al-Mansour, Al-Yaman, Al-Rusaifa and Al-Sharaie.

The holiday period and Ramadan are considered the peak seasons for these businesses because of the number of visitors arriving in Makkah. Cars are often targeted for theft, or are stripped for parts.

Ibrahim Essam, a Saudi citizen, said these shops are posing a grave danger to society. He added that the illegals have set up roadblocks of abandoned cars to impede police access to these areas.

“When I lived in the Al-Mansour district behind the police station, I used to see the overstayers at night targeting cars seized by the police,” he said.

“These cars were impounded because their owners were facing criminal charges. The overstayers strip these cars of parts and sometimes remove the tires. They sometimes even remove the engines and sell them to the illegal shops inside the neighborhood.”

Khaled Al-Zain, another Makkah resident, said that as long as these shops exist, car thefts would continue.

“These thieves target visitors’ cars parked in Makkah. When police arrest these thieves, they confess that they steal car parts and sell them on to these illegal shops,” he said.

Lutfi Jameel, another resident, said at first he was sympathetic toward these people, believing they were serving the public charging only a small fee.

Jameel later discovered that the majority of the illegals were thieves who base most of their businesses on selling stolen parts.

“Once, my car’s air-conditioning was not working properly. When I went to the dealer, he said that it would cost SR3,000 to fix,” he said.

“Because I could not afford the dealer’s price, I went to the illegal shops on the recommendation of a friend. I was told to keep the car for one day until they found a part for it. The next day when I returned, he charged me SR500 only. When I asked him why the bill was so cheap, he told me that he knew people selling used parts. Later I discovered that this man was actually selling stolen parts.”

A field trip by Arab News in the Al-Mansour district revealed that these shops are flourishing on the main roads and alleys inside the neighborhood.

Their activity starts early in the morning until 5 p.m. The illegal shops usually work on stolen cars at night.

Spokesman for Makkah police Maj. Abdul Muhsin Al-Mayman said officers have received reports from citizens on these suspicious activities and have taken action. He urged the municipality to carry out field inspections in these areas, adding that the police would crack down on illegal activity in all parts of the city.