Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) police have apprehended four people for masquerading as police officers and mugging people in northern Oman, according to a press release.
“The accused mainly targeted expatriate vendors in Saham [about 230km north of Muscat],” a spokesman for the ROP said.
He added that the four citizens accosted street vendors and ordered them to sit inside a car, saying that they were violating the country’s labour laws.
“They would ask them [victims] to sit inside their car to go to a nearby police station. Once inside the vehicle, the four would rob vendors of everything on them and push them out of the car,” he revealed. Left with no choice, the vendors would hand over cash to the conmen.
After increasing complaints about the cases the ROP sleuths kept a close watch on suspicious activities at public places, especially where the expatriate vendors operated. “The officers nailed the accused from the descriptions given by their victims as well as the close watch,” he said, adding that the all four were arrested from their respective homes.
“The search of their houses has thrown up a number of evidences to prove their involvement in the crime,” the spokesman claimed.
The police handed over all four to the Public Prosecution for further investigations.
Meanwhile, the police arrested an Asian in Rustaq, 152km north of Muscat, on charges of bootlegging and illegal stay in Oman. The accused was caught red-handed while selling illicit liquor. A large quantity of alcohol was seized from the house of the suspect. His case was transferred to the Public Prosecution.
