Makkah provincial police said the 23 residents were of Pakistani and Indian nationalities, and the crimes included impersonation.

The perpetrators, pretending to be bank employees, sent random messages to the victims claiming their ATM cards had been blocked. They asked the victims to provide them with confidential information and OTP numbers to reactivate their cards.

Police confirmed that the perpetrators were able to withdraw funds from the victims' bank accounts, in addition to entering one of their accounts on a government platform.

The criminals took semi-deserted courtyards in one of the Jeddah neighborhoods as their base, police said, adding that they seized 46 mobile phones and 59 SIM cards from the men.

Police confirmed that they arrested the perpetrators, took legal measures against them, and referred them to the Public Prosecution.