Muscat: Four expatriates were arrested by Royal Oman Police in Muscat Governorate on charges of vandalism and theft from several homes in the southern Mawaleh area. Mawaleh is a predominantly Omani residential locality with a few expatriates also staying in the area. The culprits were nabbed after thorough searches and investigations were conducted in cooperation with the special task force.
ROP has warned people through its social media handles the perpetrators are monitoring homes where no one is present, especially during vacations. There were burglaries that were reported in certain residential pockets in recent times.
Another person was nabbed by the ROP in the interior region of North Batinah, for impersonating police and robbing an expatriate man who was waiting to hail a cab.
Aslam Mohammed, caretaker of a residential building in the uptown Al Khuwair area, said residents have to exercise care and caution if their homes are located in areas that have other public services such as super markets, ATM facilities or gyms in the vicinity.
“The footfall of different people in such places makes it difficult to look for the actual culprits. We have told our residents to clear the house off valuable stuff by either leaving it with a trusted friend or a family member living in the same city or to deposit it in a bank locker.
"Many have done that as well. Some burglar gangs collude with the car-cleaning guys found in many buildings to know whose car has not moved from the allotted parking space for a while. Clearly a car that has not moved in a while belongs to someone who is not in the country.”