PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman has denied detaining 80 Haji pilgrims who were stranded after using tourist visas to enter Makkah.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department acting director Comm Datuk Muhammad Hasbullah Ali refuted a news article claiming the detention in a statement on Thursday (June 5).
"This is not true," he said.
He explained that the group was detected on June 2 and an investigation was conducted to locate the person who promised them the required visas.
"On June 2, the 'Op Haji Terkandas' team detected the group at Kuala Lumpur International Airport waiting for someone with the title 'Datuk'. This individual was believed to be responsible for handing over their relevant visas for the pilgrimage.
However, those visas were never obtained," he said.
Subsequently, a couple that had surrendered their passports to two individuals offering free Haji packages lodged a report.
"They were promised a flight to Makkah on June 1. However, by Tuesday (June 3), there was no confirmation from the airline.The so-called package was operated by a travel agency registered as a 'pengelola jemaah haji' (Haji pilgrimage manager) in 2025," he said.
The complainants told the police they were worried their personal details would be misused.
"A total of seven reports have been linked to this agency. No monetary losses were reported as the packages were offered without charge," he said.
Two arrests were made on Tuesday; both people are suspected of being the masterminds behind the scam.
"The suspects, aged 36 and 39, were remanded until Wednesday (June 4) to assist investigations," he said.
It is known that the so-called "Datuk" was arrested and checks are underway to verify the title.
