Land thieves are aggressive and often threaten members of the committee, verbally and physically. (SPA)

A special committee has recovered 5 million square meters of land in southern Jeddah, part of the Al-Khamra Scheme, from land thieves, with seven citizens now facing prosecution.

Samir Basirin, chairman of the committee, said that the land had been forfeited by a citizen because of various violations, according to a press report on Monday.

He said the committee has to deal with significant resistance from some people. They often build on the occupied land, placing women and children, or expatriate workers in the buildings to fool buyers into believing they own the property.

In Makkah recently, there were several women and children placed on a 60,000-square-meter piece of land to prevent the municipality from removing them. They were basically being used as human shields, said Basabrin.

Basabrin said many citizens who sympathize with these transgressors are not aware that the land has been earmarked for agriculture or industry. These plots are subdivided and sold to unsuspecting buyers.

He said citizens wanting to buy land have to check deeds properly and should not be satisfied with documents that have not been attested. They should also not be fooled by various buildings on the land, such as stables.

He said these land thieves are aggressive and often threaten members of the committee, verbally and physically. If this happens then the police are brought in to deal with the situation. Lawsuits are launched in some cases, he said.

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