Jeddah police officers have arrested five expatriate Arab men for selling adulterated car oil to workshops in the south of the city.

The fraudsters added a chemical to change the appearance of the used oil and marketed it under the brand of a well-known company, an official was quoted as saying in a local publication on Tuesday.

The criminal investigation department of the police raided the warehouse in Al-Khomrah where the men bottled the oil, said Lt. Col. Ati Al-Qurashi, spokesman of the Makkah provincial police.

He said the police launched the raid after receiving a tip-off that some workers had been taking large quantities of used car oil to the warehouse. The fake oil was sold for less than the real product, he said.

The police seized three barrels filled with engine oil, each weighing five tons; 292 barrels, each with a capacity of 180 liters; 48 empty barrels; and a number of containers ready for sale. An investigation is under way, the official said.