Police Uncover Alleged Unauthorized Hajj Route From Bali
Ngurah Rai Airport police said a Denpasar travel agent allegedly charged Rp250 million (about US$15,000) to Rp350 million (about US$21,000) per person in an unauthorized Hajj plan. Thirteen pilgrims were stopped in May.
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 2 min read
Mangupura — Police publicly disclosed on Thursday, Nov. 5, that a Denpasar travel-agent owner identified as MS allegedly charged prospective pilgrims between Rp250 million (about US$15,000) and Rp350 million (about US$21,000) per person and arranged an unauthorized route from Bali through Malaysia toward Saudi Arabia. Thirteen prospective pilgrims had been prevented from departing through the international terminal at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on May 22.
Police said MS was named a suspect in a case involving alleged fraud and the unauthorized organisation of a special Hajj pilgrimage. The Ngurah Rai Airport Police said the group was due to fly from Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH-850, after being told the Malaysia journey was a holiday or tourist trip. From Malaysia, they were promised onward tickets to Saudi Arabia.
The case was disclosed at a police news conference on Nov. 5. Eight of the 13 prospective pilgrims had reported suspected fraud to the police, according to the report. The travel agency allegedly used holiday visas and an iqama, a Saudi residence permit, in a plan presented as a way to perform Hajj without following the official route.
Why it matters to foreign residents and visitors
The case illustrates the practical difference between permission to enter or transit a country and authorisation to perform Hajj. A holiday visa does not itself establish eligibility for the pilgrimage, while an iqama is not a Hajj visa or proof of a Hajj quota. For a foreign resident or visitor in Indonesia, the reported route also shows that departure through a neighbouring country does not turn an unauthorised pilgrimage arrangement into an official one.
The police said the agency was not registered as an official organiser. Investigators were still examining how long the alleged practice had operated and how many prospective pilgrims may previously have reached Saudi Arabia. The investigation focused on the group whose departure was stopped at Ngurah Rai.
MS was arrested and detained at the Ngurah Rai Airport Police detention facility. Police said the investigation would continue, including examination of the alleged payments and the agency’s role in arranging the travel.
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