Six males of Arab nationality were arrested Monday on charges of impersonating women over the telephone to lure victims into meetings where they attacked and robbed them. The gang has also confessed to the burglary of shops in market areas in Jeddah.The six reportedly made risqué calls posing as women and targeting teenagers to con them into paying large amounts of money for telephone charge cards and arrange meetings. The calls were made by the alleged leader of the gang who was said to be particularly adept at imitating female voices, and in his most recent act lured a young Arab man into a rendezvous in the Al-Jamea district of Jeddah where all six set upon him and robbed him. A series of similar incidents led police to set up an undercover operation to observe the movements of suspects with victims helping in identification, and four days of surveillance led to the arrest of one who under questioning revealed the identities of his accomplices. The six confessed to involvement in 30 incidents involving the attack and robbery of individuals and the burglary of local stores. A police spokesman said the six were of different Arab nationalities.
