IDLIB, Syria — Robberies have been on the rise in Syria’s opposition-controlled areas, be they controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or the Turkey-allied Free Syrian Army factions. But lately, robberies have multiplied in the Idlib areas controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and have become an almost daily occurrence, sparking fears and concerns among civilians, amid rampant unemployment and price hikes in those areas. Robberies have exacerbated civilians’ already tough circumstances.

Ibrahim Hamdan, 58, was displaced from Aleppo’s southern countryside and now lives in a camp in the Idlib countryside. He told Al-Monitor, “I have a big family of eight, and I drive a 1998 Hyundai pickup truck. I use the pickup to sell livestock. One day, while I was heading to the livestock market in al-Bardaghli town in the Idlib countryside, I parked on the side of the road and locked the vehicle. I left $500 inside it, and I entered the market for about one hour. When I returned, the pickup was gone. My heart almost stopped because of the shock. I started screaming and asking if anyone spotted the vehicle, but nobody answered. I realized it had been stolen. I went to the police station that is affiliated with the Syrian Salvation Government and filed a complaint. It has been around five months, and I still haven’t found it. I lost the $500 and the car, which costs around $3,300. I have nothing left to make ends meet. It was all we had, and we lost it in a moment.”

Samer Omar, 33, who was displaced from the Hama countryside and now lives in Banash in the Idlib countryside, told Al-Monitor, “About three months ago, I went to the grocery store in the market in Banash city. I parked my motorcycle in the market. I kept my eyes on it for fear of robbery. As soon as I paid the grocer and headed back, I could not find it. I still haven’t found it. I filed a complaint at the Banash police station, but they could not identify the thief. My cousin had a similar experience. When it was his turn at the dentist, the thief took advantage and stole his motorcycle, although he had installed an alarm to protect it from theft.”

Khaled Salem, 65, a car seller from Sarmada in the Idlib countryside, told Al-Monitor, “Car theft gangs are professional. They distribute tasks among each other. Some watch the victim as soon as he gets out of the car, while others follow him to make sure he entered his destination. They inform the others who turn the car on without arousing suspicion in crowded areas, such that people cannot differentiate between the thief and the car owner. The robbers then drive the car to a destination that is usually in rural areas, out of sight. They change the car’s features to make it unidentifiable. For example, they paint it another color, from white to blue perhaps. They eliminate any distinctive signs on it, like broken pieces, scratches or dysfunctions. Then, they sell it in a remote area. Say they stole it from Idlib, they sell it in al-Bab in the Aleppo countryside, and so on.”