Manama: Police in Saudi Arabia have arrested two Bangladeshis for trying to smuggle an Ethiopian man inside a refrigerator truck. The driver and his companion, both working for a well-known restaurant in Taif, in Western Saudi Arabia, caught the police attention after they stopped the truck around 100 metres before a checkpoint and switched off the lights, local Arabic news site Sabq reported. However, their attempt to avoid the police and to speed away failed and the suspicious truck was immobilised. During the search, the police found an Ethiopian national hiding between the racks of frozen chickens being transported. During the quizzing, the driver and his companion said that they had agreed with the Ethiopian man to take him to the restaurant where he would be employed. The three men have been arrested and a full investigation has been launched. The report did not say whether the refrigeration system was switched on during the ride. Saudi security authorities are engaged in a relentless battle against the smuggling of foreigners across its borders, particularly from the south. Foreigners overstaying their visit or work visas are also a major issue in the country where nine of its 27 million people are expatriates, mainly unskilled labourers and domestic helpers from Asian and African countries.
Riyadh also complains about pilgrimage overstayers who refuse to go home at the end of the haj season and opt to wander in Saudi Arabia looking for better living conditions and more employment opportunities than in their home countries. Fugitive foreign women are another serious issue in a country where they take advantage of the traditions of wearing a veil that covers the face hide.
