Residents of posh neighborhoods in northern and central Jeddah breathed a collective sigh of relief here after hearing that the police had arrested a notorious five-member gang of burglars. The gang, consisting of Arabs of two nationalities, were responsible for a spate of burglaries at the apartments and villas of well-off residents, getting away with large amounts of cash, jewelry, watches and other valuables. The break-ins occurred when residents were away. The gang members are also suspected of dealing in drugs. Jeddah Police managed on Monday to arrest the kingpin and other members of the gang. Describing the gang's activities, Brig. Gen. Misfir Al-Je'aid, Official Spokesman of Jeddah Police, said the gang's modus operandi was to watch villas and apartments. They would knock on the doors to make sure the residents were away and would then break into the houses by prying open the doors and windows with special tools. They would also smash the safes of the houses. They divided their loot equally. Al-Je'aid said the police stations in northern and central Jeddah received several reports from Saudi nationals and expatriates that their homes had been broken into and valuables stolen. It was decided to form a specialist team from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to collect information and find leads. Forensics experts lifted fingerprints and collected other evidence. Al-Je'aid said the CID team noticed the gangsters coming and going near a house in Al-Salama District. The team requested support to monitor the movement of the suspects. When the kingpin started prying open the outer door of the targeted house, the security officers rushed in and immobilized him and his colleagues, who were waiting nearby. Narcotic tablets were found in their possession, said Al-Je'aid. __
