2 expats gang up, live on free meals

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 25 : Two expatriates were arrested for running a scheme to order meals repeatedly from restaurants without paying for them. According to security sources, several incidents in this regard were recorded, some of which were officially registered while others were dismissed due to the minor value involved. The pair would place a meal order by phone, direct the delivery driver to a location behind their building, and then block the driver’s contact number after receiving the meal to avoid paying for it via a bank link. They were arrested after the owner of a restaurant in Hawally reported that an unknown person had made a phone call to order two meals worth KD 7 with delivery but did not pay after receiving the order.

A theft case No. 512/2024 was filed at the Hawally Misdemeanor Court. Investigators from the Criminal Security Sector traced the phone number used to place the order and discovered it was linked to an expatriate, whom they arrested in Adailiya. He identified his accomplice and admitted they had both been involved in the scam. He said the second suspect had used his phone to place the order and then went down to meet the delivery driver. When the second suspect was arrested and questioned, he confessed to being the one who placed the call, received the food, and then blocked the delivery driver afterward to avoid making the payment via a bank link. The suspects admitted to doing this several times by ordering meals from multiple restaurants, sending delivery drivers to a location behind their building, and then asking the drivers to send a bank link for payment before blocking the number. The delivery driver who works for the restaurant in Hawally was able to identify the second caller immediately during a legal identification lineup.