Saudi authorities have detained 37 Indonesian pilgrims from Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, for violating visa regulations.
The pilgrims were found to be carrying Umrah visas, which are not valid for performing the Hajj pilgrimage.
According to the Indonesian news agency Antara, the Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah, Eko Hartono, stated that the detained pilgrims are currently being interrogated by Saudi police.
“In Saudi Arabia, the interrogation process in police investigations is swift,” said Hartono.
The group of detained pilgrims includes 21 men and 16 women. Saudi authorities have accused them of intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage using Umrah visas during this year’s Hajj season.
The General Directorate of Passports in Saudi Arabia recently announced the arrival of 532,958 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj season 1445 AH, through the Kingdom’s air, land, and sea ports.
According to the Directorate, 523,729 pilgrims arrived via air, 9,210 via land, and 19 via sea.
The General Directorate of Passports confirmed that all resources have been deployed to facilitate the entry procedures for the pilgrims, supported by advanced technical devices and qualified personnel proficient in various languages.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able to do so.
