Local pilgrims who are caught traveling to Makkah without a permit during Haj will be fingerprinted and sent back to their local cities pending strict punitive action, announced a high-ranking official.

“Expats without a permit may be deported for violating the rules and Saudis will be fined,” Maj. Gen. Abdulaziz Al-Asouli, Makkah police chief, told Arab News.

This is the first year this rule will take effect, he said.

Around 15,000 pilgrims were caught and barred entry into Makkah last year.

“Haj inspection campaigns have been intensified to protect the rights of pilgrims with permits,” said Al-Asouli. “Regional police forces are determined to ensure that legal pilgrims are able to perform a hassle-free pilgrimage.”

He told Arab News that police forces would make every effort to stop illegals from entering into the holy city during the busy season.

“We are deploying more forces around the holy sites in Makkah during Haj to conduct random checks,” he said.

“Jeddah used to be a hub for smuggling in illegal pilgrims to Makkah during Haj, but the scene has dramatically changed since last year thanks to the work of security forces.” Al-Asouli also said that the roads leading to Makkah from Madinah, Taif and Jeddah would be under close supervision.

“Security forces have deployed state-of-the-art technology to detect infiltrators,” he said. “Police in Makkah have not arrested anyone on a Haj-related offense as yet.”

The police chief also said that security teams are also able to detect and arrest criminals in record time.

“Our forces successfully solved a SR1.7 million robbery case that had taken place on Hail street,” he said. “Police arrested five suspects, who confessed to their crime.”

“Crimes in Jeddah are largely money-related,” he said. “We advise residents not to carry huge amounts of cash around and to use banking facilities instead.”

“The police are working to streamline suspects who deposit large amounts of cash into their bank accounts. These include both individuals and business organizations.”