Officers from the Royal Oman Police have arrested more than 750 people over the last few days, as they attempt to make sure that everyone in the country follows the law.
The largest number of arrests took place in Seeb on Thursday morning, when 614 expats were arrested in a dawn raid.
An ROP official said, “we carried out an operation at dawn in Al Seeb which targeted those who’d entered the country illegally and those in violation of labour law. 614 expatriates were arrested, including 17 women of various nationalities.
Legal proceedings are ongoing. The operation was carried out by Muscat Governorate Police Headquarters, supported by the Special Task Force and a number of units.”
Then in Dhofar, a total 101 expats were arrested in Dhofar.
According to authorities, the arrests took place as part of a joint effort by authorities in a he governorate.
In a statement online, the police said: “The Dhofar Police Command in cooperation with the Special Tasks Police Unit in Salalah and a number of concerned police formed today (Friday, March 8, 2019) an operation to arrest infiltrators and violators of the labour laws from different areas, where 101 violators arrested from different nationalities.”
In addition, a further 22 foreigners were arrested in the northern town of Shinas for violating labour laws, while two Omanis were arrested for impersonating police officers and committing theft while carrying out the ruse.
The two were operating in Al Khoudh, where they forcibly stopped an Asian man while masquerading as police officers. They then seized his documents and his mobile phone before forcing him back into his car.
“The Police Headquarters of Northern Al Batinah carried out an operation aimed at expatriate violators of labour laws,” said the police.
“The operation resulted in the arrests of 22 persons. Legal proceedings are ongoing. Al Khoudh police station arrested two citizens for stopped an Asian man in Al Khoudh area and asking him to surrender his personal documents, before forcing him to get in the vehicle, after which they seized his cell phone.”
Furthermore, in the northern governorate of Musandam, three smugglers were arrested off the coast of Ras Lima, for attempting to smuggle in more than 30,000 litres of diesel.
“Police boats have seized a smuggling boat North-East of Ras Lima in the Governorate of Musandam,” added ROP officers. “On board were three persons of an Asian nationality who carried with them on the boat more than 30,000 litres of diesel. The boat has been moved to Khasab Port and legal proceedings are ongoing.”
This is not the first time the police have been forced to arrest those impersonating police officers.
On Wednesday, a similar incident took place in Mabella, where two people who passed themselves off as policemen “stole cash and other valuables from a residential apartment in Al Mabella, in the Wilayat of Al Seeb,” according to the ROP.
Another case of theft was revealed when two people stole from schools in Muscat. A further nine were arrested for conducting a similar racket in Dhofar.
“The Department of Crime Investigation, led by Dhofar Governorate police, arrested nine accused for crimes of impersonating policemen and stealing from houses and shops in the Wilayat of Salalah,” said the police.
“Two private schools in Muscat Governorate were also robbed and vandalised by unknown people. The surveillance cameras at the schools monitored the suspects when they committed robberies. The accused were found with stolen money and tools used to commit the crime.”
“The ROP asks all owners of private establishments to adhere to safety and security standards in order to stop robberies,” added the police.
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