Saudi Arabia arrests five Pakistani nationals on charges of money laundering

Saudi Arabian authorities on Saturday arrested five Pakistani nationals for alleged involvement in transferring illicit money out of the kingdom. The police nabbed the expatriates in Medina for collecting and smuggling unspecified amounts of notes over a considerable period of time. Additionally, the authorities also seized a hefty amount of cash from the suspects, which as per Saudi police were being arranged to be bootlegged out of the country, The Express Tribune reported.

"Police found cash amounts in their possession from unknown origin," a Saudi official told the publication. The suspects have now been referred to public prosecution for further investigation. As per the Express Tribune report, Saudi authorities also informed that all 5 accused Pakistani men had blurted contradictory statements, making a detailed probe into the matter mandatory. However, the identities of the five men have not been revealed yet.

The arrests come as Saudi Arabia has intensified its crackdown on financial frauds. Several suspects have been arrested in the kingdom since over alleged malpractices and proven monetary fraud. In April this year, at least 24 men were arrested for suspected defrauding innocent people of Saudi Riyal 35 million in several scams, the publication noted.

2 Pakistani nationals held in Saudi for uploading fake videos on social media

Earlier in October, two Pakistani nationals were arrested in Saudi Arabia for uploading a video of fake gunfire on their social media accounts. As per Al Arabiya Urdu, Saudi Police nabbed the suspects from the Al-Jawf area. Both 30-year-old Pakistani men were detained and later produced in court with their mobiles confiscated as evidence. Al-Jawf Region police spokesman Colonel Yazid Al-Numas has informed that Pakistani nationals uploaded the misleading video, which was shot in front of a shop. "It was used to create a sensation by adding heavy gunfire," he added. The video had gone viral soon after it was posted on social media, triggering widespread panic and hysteria.  

(Image: AP/Shutterstock)