JEDDAH: Atleast 13 Pakistanis have been arrested in Saudi Arabia on the charges of livestock theft and are likely to either face jail time or deportation.
According to the Saudi Press News Agency, the arrests were made in Taif, where the men were accused of stealing sheep.
Reports say the suspects were involved in several incidents of livestock theft. Police handed them over to the prosecution after completing the legal process.
Meanwhile, Saudi authorities have detained 21,134 illegal expatriates in one week for violations of residency, labour and border security laws.
From 20 to 26 November, a total of 13,128 people were arrested for residency violations, 4,826 for attempting to cross the border illegally, and 3,180 for labour law violations.
The report adds that 1,667 people were caught trying to enter Saudi Arabia illegally out of which 57 percent were Ethiopian, 42 percent Yemeni and one percent from other countries.
Authorities also arrested 31 people who were trying to cross from Saudi Arabia into neighbouring countries.
In another action, 13 people were detained for providing shelter, transport, jobs or assistance to violators.
A total of 31,091 illegal expatriates are currently facing legal proceedings. Of these, 29,538 are men and 1,553 are women.
According to the reports, 22,071 individuals have been instructed to contact their embassies or consulates for travel arrangements, while 5,078 have been told to complete travel procedures. Around 11,674 people have already been deported.
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