By Ali al Kasbi — MUSCAT — Major Mohammed bin Mubarak al Araimi, Acting Director of Crime Control at the Directorate- General of Criminal Investigations, said that three men died as they tried to steal cables from a building under construction, a criminal practice which was in decline during the first half of this year as compared to last year. In the first six months this year, 191 instances of cable theft were registered against 428 last year, said Maj Al Araimi.
Speaking about the theft of vehicles, Maj Al Araimi pointed out that the thieves usually look out for vehicles whose drivers leave them with the engines running. Such drivers usually go for a small shopping at a petrol pump outlet or leave the engine running while they collect cash from automatic teller machines. The thieves get into the unattended vehicles and speed off to unknown locations.
Maj Al Araimi advised motorists to lock their vehicles and avoid parking them for long periods in far away areas. People who meet with car theft may call the Emergency Number 999 or the toll-free Hotline Number 80077444. About crimes of swindling, Maj Al Araimi said that the ROP registered 164 such crimes from January to the end of May this year. The victims are usually cheated by fraudsters offering services or items for sale via advertisements in website.
In its weekly bulletin, the ROP said that three men were arrested on charges of theft in Al Khoudh area. An African woman and two associates (men) were arrested in co-operation with Al Buraimi Police Station. The woman, a housemaid, was reported to Al Khoudh Police Station as stealing a bag with valuables worth RO 6,000 from the house where she was working in the Wilayat of Seeb. The woman left for an unknown destination.
Meanwhile, the ROP arrested a man in the governorate of Muscat who swindled a woman working for a cosmetics and perfumes outlet of assorted perfumes worth RO 2,270. The man claimed he was an employee of a government department. He asked the women to show him the expensive perfumes, but, as soon as she handed him the items, he ran off, only to be nabbed by the ROP later.
