Inspectors from two municipalities reclaimed a total of 3.5 million square meters of encroached land plots on Monday. Jeddah Al-Janoob municipality demolished a number of encroached structures on government property in Al-Khumra in an area known as Al-Mulaisaa. The municipality also reported it removed concrete ruins and random tents and fences set up without permission on public properties. The municipality cleared a total of 1.5 million square meters of land containing such structures. Makkah Al-Sharaie municipality reported it demolished 11 courtyards illegally built on separate plots of land totaling 32,000 sq. meters. Asian woman commits suicide JEDDAH — An Asian woman reportedly committed suicide by drowning herself in Al-Arbaeen Lake on Monday. Makkah Police spokesman Col. Ati Al-Qurashi said witnesses saw the woman running around near Al-Jaffali Mosque in the Historical Area with a knife in her hand before throwing herself into the lake. Civil Defense teams searched for the woman in the seven-meter deep lake and were able to retrieve her body. Police are still investigating the case in the hope of finding reasons behind the suicide. None of the witnesses knew the woman or what may have driven her to take her own life. Rotten meat seized in Makkah MAKKAH — The municipality seized 2,000 kg of rotten meat from a lounge in the city on Monday. Makkah Al-Sharaie Municipality food department director, Khidr Al-Zuwaihry, said inspectors seized more than 10 large freezers containing 2,000 kg of rotten meat and also confiscated a vehicle used to transport the meat. Six smugglers held in a week MAKKAH — The traffic police arrested six men over the past week for their alleged role in smuggling drugs and alcohol. Makkah Traffic Police spokesman, Hussain Al-Mansouri, said the six individuals were arrested during several separate incidents. The first incident was on Jeddah-Makkah Expressway when the traffic police spotted a suspicious vehicle and asked the driver to stop for inspection. Besides the driver there was a passenger in the vehicle. When they were asked to show their ID, the driver fled the scene. Officers then arrested the passenger, inspected the vehicle and found a plastic bag containing 194 amphetamine pills. In a second incident on Makkah-Taif road, traffic police spotted a suspicious vehicle driven by an Asian expatriate. Officers inspected the vehicle and found a plastic bag containing 62 amphetamine pills and a piece of hashish hidden in the vehicle. In the third incident in Al-Leeth Governorate, traffic police stopped a suspicious vehicle driven by a Saudi and found 65 batches of khat hidden in the vehicle. In the final incident, traffic police stopped a suspicious vehicle driven by a Saudi man with an unidentified passenger. Officers inspected the vehicle on Madinah Highway and found six bottles of alcohol hidden inside.
