The Saudi media reported that police in Riyadh arrested an expatriate for illegally employing and accommodating 17 female expatriates who had absented themselves from their official workplaces.

The suspect, an Egyptian national, harboured the absentees in a housing unit in Riyadh in violation of the law.

According to police, all of them were arrested and referred to public prosecution.

Those who facilitate the entry of infiltrators into Saudi Arabia or provide them with transportation, shelter, or any other assistance face penalties of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to SR1 million, confiscation of the means of transport and accommodation, and naming and shaming of those who facilitate their entry or provide them with shelter.

There has been an intensified crackdown on violators of Saudi Arabia's labour, residency, and border security laws in recent months, which hosts a large community of migrant workers.

In the south-western region of Asir, Saudi authorities arrested two citizens for transporting and sheltering illegal expatriates.

According to a spokesman for Asir police, transporting and accommodating violators of border security rules is a major, dishonorable crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The Saudi government announced earlier this month that it had arrested 15,328 illegal expatriates in one week.

In the period from December 22 to 28, 8,808 people were arrested for violating the kingdom's residency system, 4,038 for violating border security rules, and 2,482 for violating labor regulations.

10 people were arrested during the same period for transporting and sheltering violators of residency, border, and work regulations.