JEDDAH, 7 October 2003 — Muggings are on the rise in this previously safe and laidback coastal city, and many of the targets are Filipinos. The Philippine Consulate’s welfare officer has been a victim, losing his mobile phone at the Corniche Commercial Center last weekend.
Rosauro Octaviano was sending a text message when suddenly a youngster on a motorcycle snatched the phone and sped away before the officer could react.
“I felt like I was back in Manila. I had thought that this place was still free of muggers,” Octaviano told Arab News.
Arab News earlier reported that two women were walking toward the Jeddah International Market along Madinah Road when a man tried to snatch the bag of one of them.
But the woman fought back. In the struggle for the bag, the strap snapped. The woman got the bag and the thief got the strap. But the woman, still furious, continued to fight the mugger until he ran toward a waiting car, empty-handed.
Not all muggers are so forceful. Another Filipino was approached by a youngster who politely asked if he could use the Filipino’s phone to make an important call. After making the call, the thief ran to a waiting car, taking the phone with him.
All the victims were unhurt, but many say they have found it a problem to lodge a complaint with the police. Thus many victims don’t bother to report the crime.
Muggings are not the only crime reportedly on the rise in the city. Police here recently arrested a man who burgled 25 houses based on fingerprint evidence, and officers say that burglary has gone up over the past three years to more than 13,000 reported incidents.
Con artists are also roaming the streets, and many fall victim to their practices even though their modus operandi is frequently reported in the local press.
Car theft or break-ins are also common.
Many Asian expatriates also complain of being subjected to abuse by Saudi youngsters, such as being spat upon by teenagers in cars, having empty bottles thrown at them or even of being hit while walking along the street.
The expatriates can do little to fight back.
However, there are no reports yet of muggers in Jeddah carrying guns or knives.
