JEDDAH: The deaths of six African overstayers whose bodies were found in various locations between Jeddah and Al-Leeth, a town to the south of Jeddah, has shocked the authorities.
According to the police, the Passport Department was transporting 200 illegal overstayers from Jazan to Jeddah for deportation.
Apparently, six of them jumped from the moving buses during the journey to Jeddah. Highway police found their bodies at various places between Al-Leeth and Jeddah.
The Passport Department did not report the six Africans missing, which goes against official procedures when overstayers are delivered to the deportation center.
According to the official spokesman of Jeddah police, Col. Misfer Al-Juaid, it was the police who played the major role in discovering the bodies of the overstayers after finding the first one in south Jeddah.
They began investigations, linking it with reports of similar gruesome discoveries by the highway patrols — three bodies on the road around Makkah and then two on the Al-Leeth road. Police said that all six were African overstayers who had originally been put on four Passport Department buses in Jazan. The police suspect the dead overstayers may have jumped out of the buses in an attempt to avoid deportation.
Whether that is the real story — and questions are being asked about what really happened — it appears that the Passport Department in Jeddah did not report the six Africans missing.
According to local press reports, it was only when police began working on the case through their departments in Abha, Jazan and Al-Qunfudah that the Passport Department in Jazan notified them of having transported 200 illegal overstayers to Jeddah for deportation and that some had gone missing. When Jeddah police spoke to the Deportation Department in Jeddah, some of the overstayers who were on the buses apparently told them they saw their fellow deportees leaping out of the buses in a desperate attempt to escape. One of the bus drivers was reported to have told police that he tried to convince one of the overstayers not to jump but he was unsuccessful.
Arab News contacted the head of the Passport Department Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed who said that the Passport Department was awaiting the results of an investigation by Makkah area police. He said that the Passport Department would release information once the investigation was concluded.
Col. Al-Juaid refused to divulge any information to Arab News in a phone interview. He said that the case was a sensitive one between the two departments. He refused to answer questions whether the Passport Department had reported the six Africans missing. He told Arab News to phone back after a few hours for more information. When Arab News attempted to do so — several times — on the phone number given, there was no reply.
