Brig. Ayedh Al-Harbi, commander of passport police for Haj, said on Sunday that people who transport illegal pilgrims would be easily discovered and severely punished.

All entry points to Makkah and Madinah have been manned by qualified passport police personnel to detect forged documents, illegal pilgrims, and anyone trying to enter the two holy cities without official Haj permits, he said.

Al-Harbi said the Directorate General of Passports has trained its cadres to efficiently carry out passport duties during the Haj season.

He said all pilgrims would be fingerprinted to make sure they would not stay in the Kingdom after performing their Haj rites.

Al-Harbi said modern equipment to detect forged documents would be used to uncover fake passports. “Advanced computer programs will be used to finalize the entry and exit procedures of pilgrims,” he said.

Al-Harbi said sufficient numbers of police personnel were stationed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah and Jeddah Islamic Port.