A gang of six was arrested in Makkah for impersonating security officials and stopping expatriates to rob them of their personal belongings, local media said.

Police centers had earlier received notifications of a group of young men in their 20s who were posing as security men and targeting expatriates to steal their mobiles and cash, spokesman of the Makkah Police, Lt. Col Ati Al-Qurashi told the media.

The gang comprising four Saudis and two Arab nationals are being held for further investigation prior to their referral to the concerned bodies for punitive action, he said.

In a related development, security bodies in the Eastern Region have nabbed two young Saudi men who also posed as security men to harass unsuspecting civilians, spokesman of the Region Police Col. Ziayad Al-Riqaiti said.

The two Saudis had reportedly entered a restaurant in Jubail and after having introduced themselves as security men and asked the workers for their IDs. But they soon fled fearing the discovery of their true identities by the restaurant staff, he said.

Following a manhunt, the two young men were arrested with a bottle of liquor and some narcotic akin to hashish found in their possession. They were referred to the concerned bodies for further investigation, he said.