Pilgrims stranded in Makkah: Tabung Haji to conduct investigation, says Mohd Na'im

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar. – Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Tabung Haji has been instructed to investigate the incident involving 300 prospective haj pilgrims who were stranded in Makkah after being deceived by a travel agency.

In a statement on Saturday (May 11), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr. Mohd Na’im Mokhtar advised all affected to contact the Malaysian Embassy in Saudi Arabia for assistance.

"The Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), through Tabung Haji, has consistently reminded Muslims in the country to be more cautious of any cheap package offers from unlicensed travel agencies," he said.

Mohd Na’im said anyone offering haj packages without Tabung Haji’s approval is breaking the law, and legal action can be taken under the Tabung Haji Act 1995 (Act 535)

Tabung Haji has appointed 25 local travel companies to serve as Haj Pilgrimage Operators for the 1445H/2024M haj season.

Earlier, the media reported that about 300 prospective haj pilgrims, already in Makkah, were left stranded after the agency handling their travel failed to fulfil its promise to obtain permission for them to perform haj this season.

The group realised they had been deceived after discovering that the agency involved used tourist visas instead of haj visas for the pilgrimage. – Bernama