Manama: Saudi Arabia is cracking down on drivers found to be transporting illegal Haj pilgrims.
Authorities have warned pilgrims without the proper Haj permits, they would face penalties and be turned away if discovered.
At least 18 drivers, both Saudi and foreign nationals, have been arrested and punishments have ranged from fines, vehicle confiscation and in some cases, prison terms.
Four foreign nationals have already been deported after serving brief prison terms and paying fines ranging from SR15,000 to 140,000.
Despite warnings from authorities, many drivers have risked punishment hoping to make a quick buck in the highly lucrative business.
The entry restriction aims to control the number of people who can perform the annual rituals and avoid ominous overcrowding and stampedes.
With more than 1.5 million people coming from abroad and around 700,000 from within Saudi Arabia, the numbers pose a serious challenge to capacity.
According to the Centre for International Communication (CIC), an initiative of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information to facilitate global media relations, the Grand Mosque in Makkah where the Kaaba is located can now accommodate up to 2 million worshippers following its expansion.
The mosque, the largest in the world, has a surface area of 1,164,000 square metres. Up to 107,000 worshippers can circumambulate the Kaaba at any time.
Figures released by the ICI on its Twitter account about the number of foreigners arriving into Saudi Arabia to perform Haj included 184,000 from Pakistan, 170,000 from India, 90,000 from Turkey and 23,500 from Russia.
According to the Russian Council on Haj, 20,500 Russians were “ready to exercise their sacred duty, but the number of those willing to do Haj is some 24,000.”
“Upon the request of the muftis an official petition was sent to the Saudi Minister for Haj and Umrah to allow an extra 3,000 Russian Muslims to go to Makkah in 2017,” Magomed Gamzayev, the head of the Haj Mission, was quoted as saying.
Gamzayev added that more than 300,000 Russian Muslims have performed pilgrimage since the Council was set up in 2002.
