More than a thousand hajj aspirants would not be able to perform the pilgrimage this year, reportedly because they fell victims to different scams.
Despite depositing money to different sources, these hajj aspirants’ hopes are unlikely to come true as the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has now stopped receiving applications for hajj visas.
Mizanur Rahman, director (hajj office) of Ministry of Religious Affairs, confirmed the news to the Dhaka Tribune.
With the exception of around a thousand hajj aspirants, the rest of over 97,000 pilgrims had already received the necessary visas to make the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Mizanur said, adding that more than 72,000 pilgrims had already reached Saudi Arabia.
Sources said many of the hajj aspirants had paid the necessary amount of money to middlemen but did not know through which hajj agency their application was processed through.
Over the last couple of days, at least five hajj aspirants met and told the hajj director that they had not deposited the money to a bank but in the hands of some so-called imams, hujurs or people who claimed to be representatives from hajj agencies.
Asked about the number of people defrauded, Mizanur said he did not know the exact number but admitted that the number would be large. “Only five had met with me and told the same story. It was very unfortunate but we are unable to extend any favour to them,” he said.
A total of 835 hajj agencies are supposed to carry 97,175 pilgrims who applied for hajj visas this year, while 1,508 more would go through government arrangements.
Seeking anonymity, several officials of the Religious Affairs Ministry told the Dhaka Tribune that the highest number of hajj agencies had received permission to send hajj pilgrims this year.
Meanwhile, all the group leaders, or monazzems, of the aspiring hajj pilgrims under 325 private hajj agencies received their hajj visas yesterday. They are likely to travel to Saudi Arabia in the next couple of days.