RIYADH, 5 March 2005 — Young thieves are getting bolder. A few months ago mobile phone thefts started increasing to disturbing proportions; now the bandits are targeting laptop computers through strong-arm robberies, which is prompting calls for tougher law enforcement. The victims aren’t necessarily women, young students or the old and feeble: Grown men are finding that they are targets.
Ajaz Hussein recently was robbed of his computer in broad daylight by a gang of four toughs wearing traditional Saudi clothing.
It happened during the weekend on a by-lane at the Sitteen Street, Malaz, when Hussein was about to get into his car with his laptop slung over his shoulder. Suddenly, he was approached by the gang, which grabbed the portable computer and sped away in a waiting pickup truck. Hussein tried to recover his machine from the thieves, but there were just too many of them. “I simply could not overpower them, since there were four of them,” Hussein told Arab News.
He has lodged an official complaint at the police station in Malaz, but he hasn’t gotten any positive results from investigators yet.
For many, the storage disk on the laptop computer is a treasure trove of information, from digital photos of children or personal letters, to university coursework or sensitive company information. Fahim had his laptop computer locked in the trunk of his car when he went shopping. Upon his return a half hour later, he found the trunk jimmied and his computer gone.
“I don’t mind buying another machine,” Fahim told Arab News. “But how can I restore all the data stored on my machine?”
Among the items stored on Fahim’s computer was data belonging to a private organization. None of the information stolen was “backed up,” or stored elsewhere on a separate machine.
Of course, if it were hard to sell a stolen computer, there wouldn’t be much reason to steal them. Unfortunately, just like in the case of mobile phones, there is a black market powered by those who want to save a few riyals and are willing to buy merchandise on a “no questions asked” basis.
When a leading Riyadh computer company was queried about this issue, one employee shared what he knew of the electronics black market. The computer expert told Arab News that laptop computers fetch better money, more quickly than stolen mobile phones.
Stolen mobile phones fetch from SR200 to SR800 on the black market. The computer expert said stolen laptops could be sold for at least SR 2,000. The expert had some empathy for victims of computer theft, as he noted his own laptop had been stolen. Stealing car stereo units and spare tires is becoming more commonplace, too. Organized gangs are taking part in these crimes.
Farouk Yusuf made the mistake of thinking he could go home for lunch without fear of the car gangs hitting his neighborhood. After lunch, he found the car’s windshield shattered and things missing.
“They stole the spare tire and the expensive cassette player from my car,” he said.
Yusuf’s residence located opposite the Malaz stadium. The area is becoming a notorious hangout for petty car thefts of this nature. Yusuf said most of the new vehicles parked in the neighborhood were broken into by these thieves either in the afternoon or just after the Fajr (morning) prayer.
The victims of these robberies say prompt action by the police and harsher treatment by the courts would serve as a strong deterrent to criminals.
