RIYADH: A four-member gang comprising four expatriates in the capital were arrested here for stealing copper cables belonging to government stores.

According to the Riyadh police, the robbers include three Pakistanis and an Afghan national.

The police said that they received complaints about the thefts from the members of the public saying that cables belonging to the Saudi Electricity Company were being stolen.

According to the police, the suspects had been stealing cables and storing them in a massive warehouse in Sulay area in the eastern part of the capital. The cables are chopped into small pieces before they were sold to the local market.

The members of the public alleged that the stolen cables were sold at prices lower than the existing market prices. The police raided the warehouse and found the suspects.

The suspect confessed to the series of robberies and told police that the cash they received from the sale of stolen wires were equally divided among themselves.

The police is conducting further investigations to ensure that more people are involved in this operation.

Last year, during the same period, Riyadh police arrested a gang of three Pakistanis who had stolen copper cables from shops and factories in towns and villages in the Riyadh region.

According to the police, the suspects had kept their stolen cables in a massive warehouse in Semesi area close to the King Saud Hospital.