The Abha High Court in the Asir Region issued a verdict on Wednesday against five members of a gang who carried out burglaries and thefts in the region. The gang members, all of Yemeni nationality, received various sentences including imprisonment and lashes. Saleem Dhaifallah and Saleh Al-Salim, the leaders of the gang, were each sentenced to 18 months in jail and 3000 lashes each to be divided into 50 lashes every 15 days. Nabeel Faisal, the third gang member, was sentenced to prison for 10 years and 2000 lashes and he will have to sign an undertaking. The fourth gangster, Ahmad Askar, was sentenced to four years in jail and 1,000 lashes while the fifth gang member, Muhammad Kuroot, was sentenced to one year. Col. Abdullah Bin Ayidh Al-Qarni, Spokesperson of Asir Region Police, said verdicts are a result of the crimes perpetrated by the culprits. He said, “We are still awaiting the verdict in one of the biggest cases ever to be solved by police in the region – i.e., the capture of a gang of Yemeni workers who were responsible for the murders of 54 old men and women whom they strangled while burglarizing their homes in different areas of the region. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) succeeded in arresting the leader of the gang after carrying out investigations and maintaining surveillance on suspects.”
