Expat painter in Saudi Arabia arrested after allegedly working as dentist

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Labor and Social Development caused quite the stir on Monday.

This came after they posted a tweet announcing their investigative teams had caught an expat, who was registered to work as a painter in the kingdom, working as a dentist in a well-known clinic.

Just hours after the tweet started making the rounds on social media, it went completely viral, leaving thousands shocked at the news. 

Late on Tuesday, the Ministry backtracked on their statement but it seemed to be too late as people were having none of it. 

Here's how the controversy played out online:  

"Riyadh investigation teams made arrests during a field tour at a popular health clinic where they found an expat who's registered to work as a painter in the kingdom, working as a dentist. They also found several expats violating the law, working in professions limited to Saudi nationals." 

"A painter and he became a dentist!!!!" 

"How dare they do this, a person who is trained in their field worries about making mistakes. These people think this is a joke." 

"He deserves this."

"I wonder why the names of these people haven't been made public. Authorities should name both the expat and the clinic that helped him cover this up!!" 

"At a time when nationals who graduated from dentistry school are complaining of unemployment, this ridiculous news comes up." 

Saudis outraged at the news announced by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development launched a hashtag calling on the kingdom's Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, to help unemployed Saudi dentists get hired, stating that expats aren't fit for the profession. 

However, others responded to the hashtag, criticizing those generalizing the matter and holding millions of expats who live in the kingdom accountable for an individual case. 

"Until when will people continue to illegally work in posts and professions without fear or questioning? When will we stand up to those who disregard and irresponsibly handle people's health? When will they be held accountable? When will they be publicly named? (Is there anyone who'll answer these questions)."

Not too long after their tweet went viral and amid intense backlash from Saudis over the matter, Saudi's Ministry of Labor and Social development backtracked on their initial statement. 

In another tweet on the incident, they wrote: 

"After investigating the report on a health clinic field tour in Riyadh, it became clear that the expat arrested wasn't working as a dentist or in any other medical field. Officials have now communicated with the Ministry of Health to ensure that further appropriate action is taken." 

After the country's Ministry of Health took over the case, its officials announced that after cracking down on dental clinics across Riyadh, they discovered owners were trying to cover up violations. 

Following a tour of several clinics, investigation teams decided to shut down five other dental clinics found to be in violation of the law. 

"What was he doing in the clinic then?" 

"The entire ministry needs to be publicly prosecuted."