According to a statement from the police, one of them got seven years imprisonment and 2,000 lashes, while the other got two and half years in jail and 500 lashes. The verdict was issued by the general court in Riyadh.

Different police stations in the city received several complaints from victims of burglaries, car thefts and muggings as well as about goods being stolen from warehouses and gas stations.

Based on the complaints, the police concluded the two Saudis had been using the same vehicle for all their operations.

“Once the vehicle was spotted, the police were able to track down the suspects easily,” a police source said.

In two separate incidents last week, Riyadh police arrested five Saudis in their 20s for allegedly possessing stolen cars.

Three of them were caught in the south of the capital, when the driver refused to stop the car after being told to by a police patrol car. The second such arrest was made in the south of the capital, when the police spotted a stolen Honda car that had been repainted. The patrol car handed the suspects to the police station in Shifa for further investigations.

From time to time, the police advise members of the public to take maximum precautions against such thefts. They also requested the public to report any crimes that happen in the city without delay.