Riyadh: Police have arrested 29,027 illegal workers in the Eastern Province since the campaign was launched in the region, authorities announced in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Arab News quotes an official from the police that the crackdown was carried out from time to time by police in cooperation with a team comprising government departments such as labor, commerce and industry, Riyadh Municipality and security authorities in the city centers of Dammam, Alkhobar and its suburbs.

According to police, those arrested were of different nationalities.

The suspects included workers without resident permits, those who do not hold the professions mentioned in the residency permits according to the nature of their jobs, those who work for different sponsors, men who had run away from their sponsors, and illegal vendors hawking in public market places, reports Arab News.

During the operations, police cordoned the earmarked areas to block the illegal workers from running away from the raids.

Security authorities conduct regular inspections to apprehend illegal workers to curb crimes such as theft, sorcery, employing illegal workers, brewing liquor and preventing them from involvement in nefarious activities.

According to an official, most crimes in the Kingdom are committed by illegal residents who have overstayed their visas; as a result, the government has intensified its campaign against those who have overstayed.

During the amnesty period offered by the late King Abdullah, illegal residents were allowed to leave the Kingdom without any penalties during the grace period.

The Ministry of Interior had earlier advised all illegal expatriates in the Kingdom to correct their work and residency status following the end of the amnesty period on 1 November, 2013 or leave the country.

The official pointed out those arrested were investigated and were subject to fines and repatriation, depending on the nature of their respective cases.