MAKKAH, 16 December 2007 — The Passport Department has arrested 541 overstayers in the Al-Azizia district of Makkah. The department focused on three areas in Al-Azizia which are full of overstayers, most of whom are Indonesian women. Among the confiscated items were a number of counterfeit Haj documents. Arab News spoke to a number of overstayers who admitted coming illegally to Makkah in order to make money and perform Haj.
One woman, Latifa, was arrested along with her sister four days after their arrival in Makkah. She said that they had run away from their sponsors and paid SR1,200 for a driver to get them into Makkah. Latifa said she had planned to cook Indonesian food to serve to pilgrims but that now she has been arrested and can do nothing.
