Egypt acts tough on Hajj fraud ahead of pilgrimage season

Cairo: Egypt has toughened measures against illegal attempts to send irregular pilgrims to Saudi Arabia ahead of the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage season after thousands of such irregulars perished during the holy journey last year.

The Hajj that took place in June last year coincided with scorching heat. Saudi Arabia said over 1,300 pilgrims, mostly undocumented, died after trekking for long distances under the sun. A large number of the deaths were reportedly Egyptians.

In the lead-up to this year's Hajj due in early June, Egyptian authorities have warned that any travel operator proven to be sending irregular pilgrims to Saudi Arabia will be severally penalized.

Authorities have shut down more than a thousand fake entities, including websites that claimed to organize Hajj trips, but were found to be illegal, according to media reports.

The Egyptian measures were at the centre of a recent meeting between Saudi Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud and Egypt's Ambassador to the kingdom Ihab Abu Serae.

The envoy highlighted the measures taken by Cairo to ensure the safety of Egyptian pilgrims during the upcoming Hajj season and to avoid last year's events, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said last week.

These measures include creating a Hajj crisis management committee led by the Egyptian prime minister, and strict measures against violating travel companies, the ministry added.

Egyptian authorities have said they recently blocked some visas obtained by Egyptians to travel Saudi Arabia as they did not meet the current Saudi rules ahead of the Hajj season. These included short-term visas, e-tourism, and family visits.

Saudi authorities have repeatedly said a Hajj visa is mandatory to perform the pilgrimage rites and that a visit visa does not qualify its holder to undertake the holy journey.

 The cost of a visit visa-based pilgrimage journey is lower than that of an official trip for Hajj.