Thief Nabs Mobiles While ‘Friends’ Pray

DAMMAM, 29 August 2006 — Not the old “steal from them as they pray” trick again! A thief here netted a bounty of mobile phones after he befriended his victims and shafted them when they were busy with the Dhuhr prayer, the Al-Watan daily reported yesterday. The man apparently plotted the scam for some time, choosing to get close to people he didn’t know for very long at their workplace. He became a kind of friendly fixture at the office, even though he didn’t work there. Eventually he was invited along to prayer. He went with the guys but chose a spot at the back of the group so he could sneak away, go back to the unattended office, and snatch up the mobile phones the men left behind.