JEDDAH, 6 February 2007 — Police arrested two ringleaders of an organized criminal network that would steal iqamas and then sell them back to their owners.
Two Somali nationals — Adrous, 35, and Salem, 40 — were arrested on Thursday in the Al-Sabeel district of Jeddah and are now facing counterfeit charges.
It is common knowledge in Jeddah that people who lose their iqama can try recovering it by either visiting the Somali market located in the city’s Al-Balad district or by awaiting a telephone call from the thief who would ask the person to meet him at the notorious market.
People who have recovered their iqamas say they have received telephone calls from native Arab speakers who inform them that they have their iqama and will return it for a fee, which depends on one’s status and the iqama’s date of expiry.
“I agreed to pay SR900 after negotiating the SR1,100 price tag — SR100 for each month up to the expiry date,” said Muhammad Kutty, an Indian resident who lost his iqama four years ago. “A friend of mine informed me that it was possible to find it at the Somali market. I was not expecting a call since I didn’t own a mobile phone at the time,” he said.
Since then Kutty has tailored a specially designed iqama pocket that can only be accessed from inside of his shirt.
Joseph Alexander lost his iqama six months ago in the Sharafiya district of Jeddah. “I received a call the following day on my mobile from the very people who stole it,” he said. The man told him to meet him at the Somali market. “He wanted to charge me SR2,000 at first. After bargaining with him I managed to settle for SR1,000,” he said.
Muhammad Salem said that he had to pay for his iqama twice, the first time he paid SR800. “After giving him the money he gave me the iqama. When I looked at the iqama it wasn’t mine,” he said.
Salem handed it back to the man who disappeared with both his iqama and money. He added that a day later he returned to the Somali market and negotiated with another man who charged him SR800. “This time I made sure it was mine before handing him the money.”
Most people agree to pay the fee since replacing the iqama can be extremely tedious and expensive. A time and location is then set at the market when the iqama would be returned. People who do not receive telephone calls are usually advised by veteran Jeddah residents to visit the market in order to recover their iqamas and thus avoid paying huge sums for a replacement.
Jeddah police say they are working hard to bust the network.
