Saudi Arabia on Thursday executed four robbers who dressed in women’s clothing to lure their victim and kill him, the interior ministry said.

Their beheadings bring to 25 the number of people executed in the kingdom this year, according to an AFP tally.

The sentences against the four, all Saudis, were carried out in the eastern town of Qatif, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

They were convicted of luring their Saudi victim, stealing from him and killing him.

The use of the death penalty in such cases is part of an effort to maintain security and “justice”, the ministry has said.

Saudi Arabia has faced constant international criticism over its human rights record, including its use of the death penalty.

The kingdom executed 87 people last year, up from 78 in 2013, according to an AFP tally.