In this Nov. 13, 2013 file photo shows, Illegal migrants wait with their belongings under police watch to be transferred by police buses to a center in the capital Riyadh ahead of their deportation.

Riyadh police arrested 307 illegal residents, including 13 wanted men, in a major crackdown in the city on Tuesday during a combing operations conducted on the instructions of Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

The Ministry of Interior had advised all illegal expatriates in the Kingdom to correct their work and residency status following the end of the amnesty period on Nov. 1, 2013 or leave the country.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is a goldmine for millions of people from Asia and elsewhere in the Arab world, who find work as common laborers, drivers, porters and house maids. Expatriates account for around 9 million of the country’s 27 million population.

According to Riyadh police, the 24-hour operation was carried out on Tuesday in Manfouha, Hai Al-Wazara (Hara) and Batha city center. “Those arrested were of different nationalities and booked for various offenses such as overstaying their visas, running away from sponsors and people with ‘free visas’ looking for employment,” the official said.

The illegal residents were mostly concentrated on Al-Frayan Street, Sitteen Street in Manfouha, in Hara and the Batha area.

The operations, which were carried out under the direct supervision of Maj. Gen. Saud Al-Hilal, cordoned off the notorious areas before the raid, to prevent the suspects from escaping.

During the raids 45 vegetable vendors, who were staying illegally in the Kingdom after the expiry of their Haj and Umrah visas, were also arrested in the Hara and Batha areas.

According to the police, those arrested will be investigated and will be subject to fines and repatriation depending on the nature of the cases.

The operations were carried out by Riyadh police in cooperation with the other wings of the security forces for smooth facilitation of arrests.

 
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