Saudi Arabia: Nine-man gang arrested for stealing 16 vehicles

Abu Dhabi: Riyadh Police have arrested a nine-member gang who stole 16 vehicle in various parts of the capital, a senior police officer said.

Major Khaled Al Kreidis, assistant spokesman for the Riyadh police, said the group, consisting of eight Sudanese nationals and one Egyptian, was nabbed after they prepared two sites in the neighborhoods of Naseem and Al Ha’ir to collect stolen vehicles, dismantle them and sell their spare parts.

A security team was formed by the department of criminal investigation to launch a manhunt for the culprits and arrest them.

During the investigation, the team identified the suspects and zeroed in on their whereabouts. The police raided the workshops where the suspects were holed up and arrested them.

During the interrogation, they confessed to stealing a large number of vehicles from various areas in the city. They told the police that they targeted cars that were left parked for long periods of time. After ensuring that there was no one around to see their movements, they loaded the vehicles in a truck - which was owned by one of them. They then transported the cars to other locations where they dismantled them to sell their spare parts.

Based on their confession, the gang members were referred to the public prosecutor’s office in Riyadh, police said.