Friday, June 8, 2012

Jleeb Sweep For Illegals … Hundreds Held Crackdown Triggers Panic


KUWAIT CITY, June 5: A sudden police raid in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Tuesday evening resulted in the arrest of 1,550 people found to have violated the Residency Law and committed various crimes.

The crackdown triggered a panic situation with shops shuttering down and people fleeing to their houses. For the residents, this kind of operation has become a normal thing, although the securitymen were seen going from house to house in some areas checking the civil identification cards of people residing in those apartments. All expatriates not in possession of proper identification papers were bused to the police stations in the area.


Acting Interior Ministry Undersecretary Lieutenant General Sulaiman Al-Fahad spearheaded the operation, which was supervised by Assistant Undersecretary for Public Security Affairs Major General Mahmoud Al-Dousari and Assistant Undersecretary for Operations Major General Abdullah Al-Muhanna. Many other senior security officers from different units were involved in the massive crackdown.

Security sources revealed many of those arrested are wanted by law for their involvement in various crimes such as theft, prostitution, drug consumption and trafficking, destruction and stealing of public properties or facilities, operating illegal international phone call centers, in addition to selling liquor, pornographic films, and spoilt food products.

Meanwhile, Abey Varicad, a community leader and resident of the area, told the Arab Times that panic ensued when a riot van incidentally broke down in a street and more police vehicles came to have it removed.

“The crush of police cars, the riot van, and the routine raid generated an atmosphere of fear. Otherwise it was just a normal search for residence violators that has been going on as part of the ministry’s latest initiatives to clean up the city. Word got around that the police were out in full force to clamp down on the residents of Abbassiya, fuelling the panic,” Varicad added.

Varicad further said that in Hassawi the police raided some apartments known to be housing maids staying illegally in the country.

SOURCE: arabtimesonline.com

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