Saudi Arabian authorities on Thursday arrested 15 more people after bogus Hajj services were allegedly offered, state news agency (SPA) reported.
The list of services under investigation included transport for pilgrims to the holy sites and accommodation, as well as offering sacrifice on behalf of pilgrims on Eid Al Adha.
It comes after 19 arrests in the kingdom on Tuesday over similar allegations.
Saudi Arabia’s general security said Hajj violators could be fined SR 10,000 ($2,666).
It said pilgrims must obtain a Hajj permit from the official government platforms.
Seven residents of various nationalities were arrested in Makkah over allegedly offering fake services on social media, including helping one perform Hajj on behalf of others who are deceased or unable to do so.
Eight others were arrested in Riyadh over allegedly promoting fake Hajj campaigns and offering transport services, a security official told The National. Seven were from Pakistan. The eighth, an Egyptian, was arrested over allegedly publishing a fake Hajj website.
Earlier this month, police said they had arrested a Yemeni over allegedly forging Hajj 2022 permits.
The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) said the penalty for foreign residents violating Hajj services would be deportation from Saudi Arabia with a 10-year ban on returning.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah warned pilgrims against using suspicious sites and social media accounts that offer Hajj services.
It said only the ministry's online platforms were authorised to offer and book Hajj campaigns and services during the pilgrimage season.
This year, Hajj will run from July 6 to July 10. Saudi Arabia opened Hajj for more than 1 million pilgrims from abroad this year, unlike the past two years since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, when it was restricted to the kingdom's residents only.
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
