JEDDAH: A man impersonating an undercover intelligence (mubahith) officer robbed an Indian accountant outside a bank on Madinah Road on Saturday. Abdul Maroof, who works for an electrical supply company on Tahlia Street, said he went to Al-Rajhi Bank near Souq Al-Gorab with his company’s driver.
As he came out after withdrawing money he found his colleague being held by a stranger. On inquiry, he claimed to be a mubahith agent. He flashed a basic Saudi family ID card, pretending that it was his identification as an undercover agent.
He charged Abdul Maroof and his colleague of possessing drugs and asked them to take him to their office so that he could complete his investigation. While driving toward his office he did everything to demoralize Abdul Maroof including a slap on his face and took everything that he possessed — SR18,636 that he had just withdrawn from the bank, his wallet containing a few hundred riyals and a smartphone.
Then he stopped the car behind a mosque off Tahlia Street, pushed Abdul Maroof out and sped away. A case has been registered with the Sharafia police station. Saudi officials have warned against this form of unarmed robbery by informing the public that real undercover officers will not be acting alone and will have other officials with them. It is recommended that expatriates familiarize themselves with how a Saudi family ID card looks and be assertive in demanding proof of idetification. Expatriates should never hand over their residency permits (iqamas) to anyone who hasn’t established beyond any doubt that he is a Saudi official.
