The police have arrested an Arab expatriate for posing as a citizen for 12 years, including causing considerable problems by running up debt, assaulting girls and traffic violations.

The man, in his forties, was arrested Monday in Rabigh, said Lt. Col. Aati Al-Qurashi, spokesman for Makkah police. He would now face trial, Al-Qurashi was quoted as saying by a local publication on Wednesday.

This has come as considerable relief for citizen Abdullah Al-Harbi, a resident of Jeddah, who said his troubles started 12 years ago when he lost his wallet in Madinah. He had reported the lost documents and received new identification cards.

“Months later I was surprised to receive claims from Saudi Telecommunications Company demanding payment of SR3,000 for communication bills I did not know of. I filed a complaint in this regard but a few months later I also received notification of several traffic violations, so I filed another complaint to the authorities.”

He said that last year he received a call from the police in Al-Muzahimiyah summoning him to report to a police station as soon as possible. He was accused of raping a girl, which resulted in her giving birth to an illegitimate child. “I was shocked and after explaining myself, they released me,” he said.

Al-Harbi said his nightmare continued when he was arrested last year for raping a girl. “However, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice arrested the perpetrator but he managed to escape. I was then released.”

However, a few days ago he received notification of a traffic violation in Rabigh, while he was in Jeddah, which involved driving a bus with female students. “I went to the Traffic Department and explained there was an impostor committing all these violations. The department notified the security agencies in the province to look for the bus. A few hours later they arrested the criminal,” he said.

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