RIYADH: The police arrested a gang of five Saudis and an Arab expatriate for the burglary of a car showroom in the east of Riyadh, the authorities announced yesterday.

The suspects, all in their twenties, broke into the showroom in the early hours of morning during Ramadan.

The burglars are alleged to have entered the showroom and to have forced open the iron safe and taken the checkbooks and copies of business contracts. They have also assaulted the security guard and escaped from the scene of robbery, the police said, adding that that there were no cash or valuables in the showroom.

The police apprehended the culprits after the owners of the showroom complained at Almanar police station. The plaintiff substantiated the complaint with a video recording of the robbery from the CCTV (surveillance camera) in the showroom.

Initially the police found a stolen car used for the robbery. Subsequently, they took a suspect into police custody for inquiry. The suspect confessed to his offense and assisted the police in tracking down the other five robbers.

On arrest all suspects admitted that they had been involved in the robbery. The police would conduct further investigations to find out if more people had been involved in the operation.

The suspects will be produced before the court of law for necessary punishment on completion of police inquiry.