A gang of thieves, disguising themselves as Mo Salah to rob stores, have been arrested by the Egyptian police in Cairo. Reports said four men, who used masks of the Liverpool star to conceal their identity and rob stores in the country capital, were caught while attempting to rob a store on Hassanein Heikal Street in Nasr City neighbourhood of the state’s capital. All four had covered their faces sing masks of Salah, who enjoys great fanfare in both England and Egypt. Reports also stated that the gang initially tried to escape after seeing the police but were captured. Jurgen Klopp Returns to Melwood, Liverpool Shares 'New Ways of Training' (See Pics).

Thieves and robbers wearing masks of a popular celebrity to rob is a common phenomenon in most countries. Often during Christmas, thieves disguise themselves as Santa Claus to rob several households. The advent of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced people to wear masks to protect themselves from contracting the disease, has also seen thieves use those masks to hide their identity and rob others. Troy Deeney, Watford Captain, Refuses to Train Ahead of Premier League Return, Says ‘Can’t Risk Son’s Health’.

Meanwhile, Salah who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017 has enjoyed great fan following in his native country of Egypt and is also a key player for the Egypt national team. He has already scored 41 goals in 67 games for his country, which includes the lone World Cup goal in 2018, France. Since arriving in Merseyside, Salah, popularly called the ‘Egyptian King’ by Liverpool fans, has become one of the most sought players with big clubs like Real Madrid said to be running for his signature.

Recently, former Egypt assistant coach Hany Ramzy claimed that Salah rejected the Los Blancos in 2018 to stay at Liverpool. The former Egypt captain said that during his tenure with the national team, Salah had once revealed to him months before the 2018 Champions League final that Real Madrid had approached him with a luring offer to join the club. But he said he was happy in Merseyside and said no to the proposal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2020 04:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).