Police sweep nets 82 illegals By Ibrahim Alawi JEDDAH – Eighty-two persons were arrested in the early hours of Thursday during police campaigns in the districts of Al-Thaghr and Al-Jami'a targeting illegal immigrants and residents in violation of labor laws. Officers found one site housing 24 construction workers sleeping eight to a room, reportedly for a rent of SR50 per month. A secret hiding place was also discovered, prepared for use in the event of a police raid. A raid on another house saw the arrest of 21 persons, eight of them found sleeping on the roof using large satellite receiver dishes for shelter. The total of 82 persons arrested were all of the same unstated nationality, police said. – Okaz/SG Balad brothel busted;3 women among 5 held By Ibrahim Alawi JEDDAH – Police arrested Friday two Indian men accused of running a brothel in the Al-Balad district of Jeddah. The raid on the rented house, which took place after a period of surveillance on the back of information received regarding suspicious activities at the premises, also led to the arrest of three Asian women. On searching the premises officers discovered several bottles of the alcoholic drink araq, which one of the Indian men reportedly distributed and sold. – Okaz/SG Border police not fooled by new trick By Mohammed Sabati ARAR – Border Guards detained six Somalis – three males and three females – as they attempted to enter Iraqi territory on foot from the Kingdom Friday. The official spokesman of the Border Guards directorate-general, Lt. Col. Salim Bin Saleh Al-Salmi, said the six were in the Kingdom in violation of residency and labor laws. The foiled attempt to slip into Iraq was seemingly a new tactic, possibly being tested for the first time. “The six Somalis tried to get into Iraq using broad daylight as camouflage,” Lt. Col. Al-Salmi said. “Investigations are continuing to ascertain whether they are on lists of wanted persons or not.” – Okaz/SG Filipino booze gang busted in Jeddah By Ibrahim Alawi JEDDAH – Three men and two women were arrested in Jeddah Friday for running an alcohol production operation from a single apartment in the north of Jeddah. The five Filipinos, all of whom were living in the Kingdom illegally, resided in the same apartment while having no legal relation to each other. Police said that one of the gang was tasked with delivering what was described as “relatively small quantities of the araq” to other Filipinos, and noted that orders were made an hour in advance, after which the product was supplied “freshly made”. – Okaz/SG Brother and sister killed in crash By Mohammed Al-Sa'ed TABUK – A brother and sister were killed when their vehicle collided head-on with another car in Al-Kharbiya in the Tabuk province Wednesday. Six others were injured in the accident and taken to King Khalid Hospital by emergency rescue teams. – Okaz/SG Nervous driver exposes illegal passengers By Ibrahim Alawi JEDDAH – The driver of a vehicle carrying two female illegal immigrants was stopped at a checkpoint Friday after officials noticed his “nervous behavior”. The two women, who were traveling with relations of the man in the car intending to head for Tamweeh, were passed on to deportation authorities.
