JEDDAH, 3 November 2004 — Ramadan is a season for spiritual reflection and worship. It has also become an opportunity for pickpockets throughout the Kingdom. Hundreds of expert pickpockets take advantage of the Ramadan crowds to steal. You could be in a souk or a mosque, reach for your wallet or bag only to find it is not there.
Countless people have had their money, wallets and passports taken. “I was shopping with my elderly mother when my bag suddenly became lighter,” said Umm Sami. “I reached in for Kleenex and found nothing. My bag was totally empty.”
What makes the problem so difficult to solve is that the thieves commit their crimes inside the holy mosque. Sometimes they are even dressed in ihram and so look like pilgrims.
Mustapha Al-Shareef said, “I do not feel sorry for these criminals if they are caught. I think chopping off their hands is not enough. I think execution is the best punishment for such evil. How do they have the heart to steal inside the holy mosque of Makkah? How could they do such a thing in the House of God? Sometimes they are only a few meters from the Holy Ka’aba.
“These people are the worst elements in society and should be eliminated. It has happened to me twice. The first time, I lost everything — money, credit cards and identification papers. How it happened, I have no idea. I did not feel anything. These criminals are fast and quick. The second time, my wallet was stolen with my credit cards, identification papers and money. This time, the thieves used a razor to cut my pocket and when wallet fell down, the thief just picked it up. I thought there was something wrong with my thobe but I later learned that this is a technique they use.”
Another complicating factor is that many of the pickpockets are women.
Umm Fahd who lives in Madinah said, “I used to leave my bag where I had prayed and walk freely around the holy mosque, visiting the tomb of the Prophet and returning to find my bag exactly where I had left it. Now if I leave a small purse with two riyals and a Kleenex, I will be lucky to find it. Even sometimes, while I am praying, they steal my purse.”
Dina Ahmad said, “Because of the size of an abaya, it’s easy to smuggle things in and out. Once when I was in the souk, two women approached me, hugged me and greeted me as if I were a long-lost friend. Minutes later, I actually saw my bag in their hands as they walked away. I told a nearby policeman and he shouted angrily at me, ‘Do you expect me to search a woman?’ My answer was ‘Yes, because that’s my bag.’”
Mohammad Al-Rasheed, a policeman at Al-Kandara Police Station, told Arab News “Female pickpockets increase in Ramadan. Most of them are African, but there are many from other neighboring countries.”
Muhammad Mahmoud said, “I never put all my eggs in one basket. Unfortunately, pickpockets are known to be all over the mosque in Makkah. Usually, people from abroad are the criminals. I remember standing in a line waiting to buy some juice. A woman from a north African country approached me to ask directions. She was smiling and I suppose she wanted to distract me. I immediately reached for my pocket and felt the woman’s hand trying to steal my wallet. Of course, she ran away and disappeared quickly in the crowd.”
Police have arrested several pickpockets in the act red handed since the beginning of Ramadan. Those detained admitted to stealing documents such as passports, residence permits, ID cards or other valuables from pilgrims praying at the Grand Mosque during the past several days.
Authorities say plainclothes policemen have been posted at various locations of the Grand Mosque to observe attempts aimed at stealing from pilgrims. There are also closed-circuit surveillance cameras installed at different points to detect criminal acts, according to officials in the Haram police.
