Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant
An Asian expat in his late 20s, agreed to talk to Arab News recently about his former involvement in an organized gang of thieves. Their specialty: stealing car accessories, such as tires, rims and stereo systems.
Arab News sat down with A.M. in a dingy cafe in a poor neighborhood in south Jeddah. A.M. was born in Saudi Arabia, wears a thobe and speaks with a perfect Hejazi accent, but, like other children of expatriates, A.M. doesn’t have Saudi citizenship, has never been to the land of his parents and shut out from the public services afforded Saudi citizens.
Over a pot of steaming chai, A.M. described his days as a low-ranking member in a theft ring, saying the racket has become more organized than in the past. What used to be the act of one or two crooks waiting for the opportunity to snatch a valuable item from a car has now become a bands of 20 to 30 people, mostly children trained in the art of stealing, headed by ringleaders. The ringleaders often recruit youngsters from established beggary rings.
“The leader approaches heads of beggary groups and rents kids, usually about 10 to 15 years old, for about SR500 a month per head,” he said. “The leaders of these begging rackets themselves often pay the parents of children - often African or Afghanis.”
“Children are easier to train and can hide fast,” he added. “Even if they get caught they don’t pose a huge threat to the group. They’re usually just processed for deportation.”
He said that the leader also hires a professional mechanic who trains the children on how to disarm the car-alarm systems and the best methods to dismantle the required accessory without inflicting damage. The youngsters are often dispatched in vehicles and dropped off in lucrative areas after scouts identify zones with a number of target vehicles. Each act of thief might also include lookouts, turning the entire process into a kind of team sport, each person playing his or her part in stealing auto parts.
“It’s well planned; not something that just pops up sporadically,” he said. “And they follow trends to decide what items to target. For example, at one point everyone was putting neon light trim on cars. So for a while everyone was targeting those neon-light installation kits on vehicles because they were easy to sell.”
Items that thieves target on cars can include not just accessories but also parts, such as side mirrors and halogen headlights - especially on luxury automobiles. Part of the training program for these thieves is lessons on how, for example, to quickly snap off a side mirror of a car without damaging the component that will be sold to unscrupulous vendors.
“Obviously, these gangs go after common models that will have high demand for parts, such as the Toyota Camry. But also parts from vehicles that are expensive to repair will give you the highest profit on the sale of the stolen items. So of course they prefer luxury sedans.”
He pointed out that replacing a side mirror on a high-end BMW sedan can cost up to SR6,000. And crooks that can remove the components without damaging them can get up to SR3,000 for the parts on the black market. Owners of these expensive vehicles often seek out parts in local markets instead of ordering new ones direct from the dealers.
“If it costs you SR6,000 to get two side mirrors replaced on a luxury European sedan, often including a cheap installation fee, that’s going to be much more appealing than SR12,000 from the dealership,” he said.
A.M. says that selling the parts is often trickier than stealing them. Gang leaders often have a contact list of potential used-parts vendors or, more likely, brokers who linger outside legitimate parts stories and try to sell parts to approaching customers.
“Customers who browse scrap yards for parts would never guess or perhaps even care that the part they are buying might be stolen,” he said.
Most used parts vendors in Jeddah are located in the southern Bani Malik and Iskan areas.
“(Brokers) offer customers parts for less, claiming that they would bring the part from another scrap market or through a cheaper dealer,” he said.
A.M. says that a typical 20-member gang comprising two mobile teams of searchers, spotters and thieves - most of whom will be youngsters - can generate up to SR50,000 a month; about SR10,000 will go to the people who supply the kids (either impoverished parents or the begging-racket bosses) and parts brokers will ask for a commission of the sales. The rest, says A.M., goes to the person or people who organized the entire gang as pure profit.
A.M. said that increased vigilance has made things more difficult for these rackets.
“These groups always try to work around new security measures and innovate new ways to make their pay,” he said.
As a local resident of an area known for its organized crime, A.M. claims that he no longer steals. But as a resident of south Jeddah, A.M. says it’s easy to observe these rackets and to hear the stories.
And after the pot of chai tea was empty, A.M. got up from the table of the café and said goodbye. Then the man with no country disappeared into the dusty streets of Jeddah’s underbelly. I found this story from my reader on Arab new website written by Hassan Hatrash
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best….
Trackback by geyq.com — May 9, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best….
Trackback by pligg.com — May 9, 2008 @ 11:08 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best….
Trackback by marketingsqueeze.com — May 9, 2008 @ 11:09 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best….
Trackback by Anonymous — May 9, 2008 @ 11:10 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best. …
Trackback by Previewed.us — May 9, 2008 @ 11:11 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best….
Trackback by linkkk.com — May 9, 2008 @ 11:11 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
This site is the coolest site where you can get simply add-ons to your car. For all the car accessories you need, check out this amazing site where all its products are the best….
Trackback by techknowledgeit.com — May 9, 2008 @ 11:11 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
The name of the game in meeting girls is having a one of kind ride. And with this site, I know for sure that you’ll be envied by others. This site offers only the best car accessories you can ever find at unbelievably low prices. Check out and see…
Trackback by Anonymous — May 9, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
. You probably be buying for some replica of car accessories outside, but with this site, you’ll simply be buying the original and the best one. Check out this site for all the car accessories that you need and surely you’ll be getting the bes…
Trackback by pligg.com — June 4, 2008 @ 4:07 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
. You probably be buying for some replica of car accessories outside, but with this site, you’ll simply be buying the original and the best one. Check out this site for all the car accessories that you need and surely you’ll be getting the bes…
Trackback by lawplug.com — June 4, 2008 @ 4:09 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
. You probably be buying for some replica of car accessories outside, but with this site, you’ll simply be buying the original and the best one. Check out this site for all the car accessories that you need and surely you’ll be getting the bes…
Trackback by BigBayCafe.com — June 4, 2008 @ 4:09 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Whatever it is that guy’s need for the renovation of his car is here, in this extensive site that gathered all the necessary spare parts and car accessories that every man will surely strive to have….
Trackback by Socialized.mobi — June 4, 2008 @ 5:19 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Whatever it is that guy’s need for the renovation of his car is here, in this extensive site that gathered all the necessary spare parts and car accessories that every man will surely strive to have….
Trackback by pligg.com — June 4, 2008 @ 5:20 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Whatever it is that guy’s need for the renovation of his car is here, in this extensive site that gathered all the necessary spare parts and car accessories that every man will surely strive to have….
Trackback by linkkk.com — June 4, 2008 @ 5:20 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Whatever it is that guy’s need for the renovation of his car is here, in this extensive site that gathered all the necessary spare parts and car accessories that every man will surely strive to have….
Trackback by connectable.info — June 4, 2008 @ 5:20 am
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by pligg.com — June 4, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by online24.com — June 4, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by Socialized.mobi — June 4, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by whamx.com — June 4, 2008 @ 6:19 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by BigBayCafe.com — June 4, 2008 @ 6:19 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by QuGy.com — June 4, 2008 @ 6:20 pm
Thefts of Car Accessories Rampant | Car Accessories 411…
Check this out! A site that offers premium quality and trendy car accessories that are simply irresistible for men who wanted to be in the limelight. So if you have the wheels for it, come see this site and find out how you can conveniently get it….
Trackback by geyq.com — June 4, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
tramadol hc…
tramadol ingredients…
Trackback by tramadol — August 5, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
car on 30 rims…
Six Apart started a working group in February 2006 to improve the Trackback protocol with the goal to eventually have it approved as…
Trackback by car on 30 rims — August 7, 2008 @ 8:00 am
Jack…
Wow! it is one of the good site i ever found….
Trackback by Jack — August 9, 2008 @ 3:02 am
Shin…
One should guard against preaching to young people success in the customary form as the…
Trackback by Shin — August 27, 2008 @ 4:24 am
used car sales…
* Trade-in: dealer inventory that is aging or does not meet their profile (e. Most of these can be fixed with touch-up paint and/or…
Trackback by Jessie — October 3, 2008 @ 10:49 am
accent mirrors…
) Some individuals or companies have abused the TrackBack feature to insert spam links on some blogs (see sping). Six Apart started…
Trackback by accent mirrors — October 7, 2008 @ 2:46 pm
tramadol…
tramadol hydrochloride. tramadol hcl. buy tramadol online. tramadol. buy tramadol. tramadol online. tramadol online. tramadol hcl. …
Trackback by tramadol — October 13, 2008 @ 10:07 am