Saudi Arabia busts Chadian blackmail gang that committed 41 robberies
Unsuspecting victims were duped into illicit sex, beaten, photographed and robbed
Abu Dhabi: A gang who duped victims into illicit sex has been busted in Saudi Arabia.
The three-member Chadian gang used social media applications to trick potential victims into meeting women in a private apartment, said Colonel Shaker Al Tuwaijri, spokesperson for the Riyadh Police.
The suspects, in their 20s, have reportedly been involved in 41 robberies, blackmail and solicitation of prostitution.
Colonel Al Tuwaijri said measures were taken to refer them to the Public Prosecution.
Modus operandi
The victim is lured through social media by a female member of the gang to a rented flat where he is welcomed by a woman. The hostess then sits next to him and starts talking with him. Suddenly, a member of the gang storms into the room and starts beating up the victim, claiming he is the woman’s brother. The victim is stripped of his clothes and is photographed naked. The aggressor takes all the money in the wallet and then forces the victim to divulge the codes for the credit and debit cards.
While the victim is kept locked in the room, a member of the gang takes the cards, withdraws cash from the ATM and uses the credit cards to buy mobile phones and jewellery.
The victim is then forced to write and sign a confession that he had entered the flat to have illicit sex and that he would not repeat his mistake and would not report what happened to the police.
Police warned young people from being lured into any compromising situations by social media and urged them to exercise the highest levels of caution.
Police asked people who rent out their apartments to strangers to abide by regulations and rules to ensure there is no abuse.