JEDDAH, 12 November 2006 — Police have arrested a gang of robbers comprising three Saudis and an African, who specialized in robbing taxi drivers, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday. According to police sources, the gang would hire taxis to take them to desolate and badly lit locations outside the city where they would rob the drivers.
Jeddah police had been hunting for the gang after they received a number of complaints about similar crimes, which were seemingly being carried out by the same people across the city.
“The gang’s style of operation was simple. One of them would call a taxi to a destination that would generally be less frequented by people and away from the city. His accomplices would be waiting at the destination as would have been pre-arranged,” said a police source.
When the taxi would reach the place, the gang would attack the driver. If the driver resisted then he would be beaten up and the gang would threaten to kill him. A special police team headed by Lt. Hassan Al-Qahtani observed the suspicious activities of a member of the gang, who subsequently led police to the gang.
Friday Prayer Car Thieves
JEDDAH - Police are looking for thieves who targeted the cars of mosque-goers after prying open car windows during Friday prayers at the King Saud Mosque on Madinah Road in Jeddah. One of the victims said he was away from his car for only seven minutes. Half the prayer was already over when he joined the congregation. On returning to his car immediately after the prayer finished, he found a crowd of people standing around his car and four other cars nearby, reported the Al-Watan newspaper.
Appeal Court Endorses Convictions of ATM Thieves
RIYADH - The Riyadh appeal court recently endorsed the conviction of two African suspects involved in the theft of SR70,000 from a Saudi returning from a bank in the Rabwa district of Riyadh. One was handed a three-year jail sentence and 800 lashes while his accomplice received a 10-month jail sentence and 200 lashes. The victim had left a wallet containing the sum in his car while visiting a nearby mosque for prayers. When he returned to his car he found that the car had been broken into and the money missing. The two men were also involved in robbing an expatriate shortly after withdrawing some money from an ATM at a location close to the scene of the first crime, reported the Al-Watan newspaper.
