A pre-dawn raid in selected areas across Riyadh led to the arest of 1,350 illegals, including 27 wanted suspects, said a report.

The crackdown was a continuation of police raids that were earlier conducted to arrest 750 residents in the Thulaimi and Amal districts of the capital, reported the Arab News.

Prior to the raid, the police cordoned off the area in Rail Street, close to the Batha shopping center in the heart of the capital.

Police had recently arrested 2,360 illegal workers during a four-day raid. Those arrested in the Hai Al-Wazarah area were mainly Asians from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The Riyadh police conducted the raids in cooperation with the Criminal Investigations Department, Special Task Force (STF), Riyadh Traffic, Fraud Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, Passports Department and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority.

A senior police official said similar raids had earlier led to the arrest of 6,500 illegals, including 150 fruit and vegetable vendors and Arab expat workers from Sudan and Egypt.

“Two stolen cars were also recovered during the operation,” the official said.

Police also raided several shops and restaurants, from where a number of Egyptian, Indian, Sudanese and Pakistani workers were nabbed.