Illegal Hajj Pilgrimage Racket Busted in Tashkent and Kokand
State Security Service officers in Tashkent and Kokand have successfully stopped five cases of document falsification for sending citizens to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, as reported by the SSS press service.
In one instance, a resident of the Chilanzar district, born in 1983, was caught promising to issue visa documents and send another resident from Shaykhantakhur district to the Hajj through his connections. He was apprehended by SSS officers upon receiving $8.5 thousand.
Another case involved the detention of an employee from a travel company who was caught accepting $5.5 thousand in exchange for forging documents to facilitate a resident from Shaykhantakhur district’s pilgrimage.
Furthermore, the manager and an employee from another travel company were also detained after receiving an advance payment of $4 thousand. They were demanding $8.5 thousand from a citizen in return for arranging his pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in the current Hajj 2024 season.
In Kokand, the manager of a travel company demanded $12 thousand for sending two citizens on a Hajj trip, and was arrested after receiving $10 thousand. Another employee from a travel company in Kokand demanded $6 thousand from a local resident for a pilgrimage and was apprehended after receiving $3 thousand.
Criminal cases have been initiated for all of these incidents, and preliminary investigative actions are currently underway. It is clear that the State Security Service is taking proactive measures to protect citizens from fraudulent practices related to the Hajj pilgrimage.
