The General Court in Riyadh convicted and sentenced on Saturday a gang of jewelry and diamond thieves to a total of 24 years in prison and 3,700 lashes. The judge sentenced the first of the four gangsters of Arab nationality to 10 years in prison and 1,500 lashes of the whip, the second to eight years in prison and 100 lashes, the third to four years behind bars and 400 lashes while the fourth man received two years and 300 lashes. According to a police statement, the thieves broke into eight houses and stole jewelry, diamonds and cash estimated at SR1 million. It said that the security authorities caught the gangsters after receiving reports from different police stations, including Al-Sahafa Police Station. The reports indicated that a group of thieves were operating in the area, breaking into houses and stealing precious items such as gold, diamonds, watches and cash. The security authorities noticed the similarities in the burglaries. This identified the pattern of the criminals, which led them to nab the burglars one after the other.
