Some unscrupulous individuals masquerading as inspectors of the National Water Company have reportedly tried to extort from store owners by showing false warnings and promising that they would turn a blind eye to violations in return for money.
Some have managed to earn as much as SR2,000 per day.
Sami Nawar, spokesman and director-general of Culture and Media at the Jeddah Municipality, said that the owners of commercial centers should not have paid bribes under any circumstances and that they would be held accountable.
He advised store owners to bring any such demand to the notice of the authorities to ascertain its authenticity, adding that notices from the municipality are distributed with specific numbers.
Malik, a store owner, was weary of the the increased number of visits by so-called inspectors.
“I told my employees to notify me if anyone showed up at the store,” he said. “One day, people claiming to be representatives of the National Water Company approached me and showed me their IDs. When I asked if they were on duty, they ran away. I reported the incident to the National Water Company and found that they were former employees of the company who had used their documents to extort money from shop owners. They would threaten owners even if they were not in violation and would extort SR400 to withhold violations.”
Ex-NWC staff in extortion racket
