[ARABNEWS] A total of 650 pilgrims were found sleeping in a rundown private school in Al-Aziziah next to Mina without food, water and transport on Sunday, allegedly victims of a fake Haj firm.
The pilgrims, from various Arab countries, claimed they paid SR1.6 million to the operator in Buraidah, Qassim, to take them on the holy pilgrimage. They allegedly paid between SR2,000 and SR4,000 for transport, two meals a day and accommodation.
Some pilgrims claimed that the company in Qassim operated under other names in the region. They were allegedly transported in 13 buses to Al-Sail, where a company official apparently told them that they would have to wait until the day of Arafat before trying to enter the holy sites. This was because the police would not check Haj permits on that day. |