Tabuk Police have arrested two citizens in their thirties for running a bogus employment scheme which conned female teachers out of thousands of riyals. It has emerged that the mastermind of this criminal enterprise is an inmate serving time in a Tabuk prison. Al-Watan reported that the gang members told unsuspecting female graduates and teachers that they could find them jobs or get them transfers anywhere in the country for between SR40,000 and SR60,000. The criminals published advertisements in commercial publications under the name “Abu Emad”. In the advertisements Abu Emad claimed that he could get employment for female graduates and transfer female teachers to any school in the Kingdom. An investigation was launched after a citizen filed a complaint at the Aziziyah Police Station in Tabuk. Col. Mubarak Al-Aqbi, Director of the Criminal Department, said that preliminary questioning of the two persons showed that both of them were members of a “gang run by a prisoner in Tabuk”. The gang members would call or send messages to victims and sometimes use commercial publications in Tabuk. They claimed that they could have new graduates appointed by the Ministry of Civil Service for between SR40,000 and SR60,000 according to the type of job, Al-Aqbi added. When the victim agreed, she would receive a call from a woman claiming to work for the women's department of the Ministry of Civil Service, Al-Aqbi explained. “What is really strange is that this woman uses a landline phone number which in fact belongs to the women's department of the ministry.” Investigations have shown that many females were conned out of their money while others have been searching for ways to raise the amount, he pointed out. “We asked all victims to report to us any more details about the gang.” Al-Aqbi said the region's police stations are working together, under the leadership of Brig. Hamad Al-Hawas, to unravel this case. Further details will be announced soon.
