ARAFAT: A judge at the special court in Arafat said eight cases, transferred from the General Prosecution and Investigation Board, had been reviewed.

The court has been set up to try criminals caught during Haj. All eight cases dealt with individuals arrested by police in Arafat and charged with various crimes.

One of the Arafat court judges, Muhammad Abdullah Al-Majari, said that three judges have been assigned to the court and will pronounce judgments on the cases transferred to them.

The plainclothes policemen, patrolling the area, arrest only those caught in the act. The evidence is generally caught on camera and presented to the court, he said. Al-Majari said that whatever had been recorded on camera would be used as evidence against the individuals. He said, “Most of the cases the court looks into are those of pick pocketing, theft or harassment of women.”

He said those who commit crimes do not come here for religious reasons but for personal gains. He did not rule out the possibility that some organized gangs were operating at the holy sites.

Regarding punishments, he said that the role of the judges was limited to reviewing the cases and transferring the accused to the executive departments in order to implement the sentences.

He said that last year the court looked into the case of an organized gang that came for Haj from outside the Kingdom. He said that five criminals had confessed that they had come on Haj visas for the sole purpose of committing theft. They stole more than SR20,000 before they were caught.