RIYADH: The municipality of Makkah has arrested four foreigners who were illegally cooking food for pilgrims on the rooftop of an apartment in Abu Tabanja district.

Nawaf Al-Hazmi, head of the department for monitoring food and public health, said the foreigners were also illegal workers involved in other activities in violation of local laws and regulations.

During the raid, municipality representatives also seized and confiscated 600 kilos of various kinds of vegetables, rice, 19 gas pipelines, large pots and household cooking equipment, among others.

Al-Hazmi said the offenders, who were turned over to the police, were caught in the act of cooking when the municipality representatives raided the apartment which was just in front of the building where pilgrims were staying.

Al-Hazmi explained that the arrests were made in the wake of a stepped-up campaign of municipality representatives who are working around the clock to implement local laws on health and sanitation.

“The arrests were made in accordance with the implementation of local laws on food safety to ensure the health of the pilgrims,” he said.

The municipality representatives who made the arrests were headed by Engr. Abdullah bin Khamis Al-Zaidi, head of the Ajyad district.

For his part, Ajyad Sub Mohammed Bakhaswain, director of management services, explained that the municipality had been involved in the monitoring of food and public health.

“This is done with the participation of security patrols which have been conducting random raids during the past few days on residential buildings in the municipality,” he said.

He said that this is necessary because of the big number of pilgrims who need quality services from the holy city during their pilgrimage.