Saudi Arabia nabs 17 illegals involved in car thefts

Cairo: Saudi police had arrested 17 illegal foreign residents suspected of involvement in stealing and dealing in abandoned cars.

The suspects, arrested in Riyadh, included 14 Sudanese nationals and three expats-- one each from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria, according to a police official.

Spokesman for Riyadh police Major Khalid Al Karidis added that the 17 expatriates had committed car thefts and selling their parts. Two Saudi citizens were also arrested in the same case for sheltering those illegals and hiding the stolen car parts inside sites they own, he added.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has stepped up a crackdown on migrant violators of its residency, labour and border security laws.

Saudi authorities have repeatedly warned that those who facilitate the entry of infiltrators into the kingdom or provide them with transportation, shelter or any sort of assistance face penalties of a maximum of 15 years in prison, and a fine of up to SR1 million, as well as confiscation of the transport and the accommodation means, in addition to naming to shame them.