3 fake Haj campaigns busted

Jeddah police on Thursday uncovered three bogus Haj campaigns run by five Arab and Asian expats, in addition to a number of Saudis. Police recovered SR50,000 that was paid by citizens and residents to perform Haj. Charges ranged from SR4,500 to SR5,500 per pilgrim.
Hatim Qadi, deputy minister of Haj and spokesman for the ministry, has warned citizens and residents who want to perform Haj against falling prey to such bogus campaigns.
Speaking to Arab News, Qadi urged citizens to ensure that those who run the campaign have valid permits issued by the Ministry of Haj. “Permits are renewed year by year. Older permits are not acceptable,” he said.
“I urge pilgrims to visit the portal of the ministry, where they will find an updated list of approved companies and Haj campaigns, along with their phone numbers. They can also call the toll free number 8002444480, which is open around the clock, to enquire about Haj campaigns,” he said.
The criminal investigation team at the Jeddah Police Department raided fake campaigns in the Safa, Bawadi and Mushrifah neighborhoods. An undercover security team conducted the surveillance under directions from Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Qahtani, chief of the Jeddah Police.
The campaign located in Mushrifah was found to be run by three Asian expats, who charged each Haj pilgrim SR5,500. They had SR23,000 in their possession at the time of the raid, which they had persuaded pilgrims to pay after assuring them that they were licensed to send them on the pilgrimage and that prices were relatively low compared to other campaigns.
The second campaign in Bawadi was run by three Arabs who charged each pilgrim SR4,500. The police found SR26,000 in their possession. The third raid in Safa was run by a number of Saudis who charged pilgrims SR5,000 each.
First Lt. Nawwaf Al-Bouq, a spokesman for the Jeddah police, said these people did not have permits to practice and that they are still being questioned to identify pilgrims who had signed up with them in order to issue a refund on deposits paid for going on the pilgrimage. The perpetrators will be referred to agencies for further action.