MADINAH, 22 January 2006 — Madinah Police Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Al-Radadi yesterday cautioned media against exaggerated reporting on a serial burglar, saying such reports were creating an unwanted scare and fear among Saudis and expatriates living in the city.
Addressing a press conference here, Maj. Gen. Radadi said his officers had already arrested three persons in connections with seven burglaries that had taken place in the region over the past weeks.
“Some newspapers reported that there were 10 burglary cases. This is not true. There are only seven cases,” he told reporters.
He said security officers were continuing their efforts to track down the criminal behind the incidents, the last being an attempted rape.
Maj. Gen. Radadi said publication of wrong information would affect the credibility of newspapers as well as the progress of investigation.
Police said on Friday that one of the arrested suspects had the same features as the criminal whose description has been published in newspapers.
Victims that have caught the burglar in the act have described him as an “aberrant and fearful man”, Al-Madinah reported Friday, quoting investigators. They said the man fears strong resistance from victims. Police believe that the burglar is not a professional criminal.
Witnesses interviewed said they observed the man breaking into houses in the morning hours when male members of the family were away at work.
