Local Umrah group abandons pilgrims in Mecca as ministry seeks police probe
The Islamic Ministry had issued warnings in January against the Mashar group and other groups that were operating illegally.
By
Aminath Shifleen
Maldivian Umrah pilgrims under the care of Mashar Tours & Travels group have been stranded in Mecca, unable to return to Maldives. The Islamic Ministry has now decided to report the matter to the police.
An Atoll Times source said that they were scheduled to return to Maldives on Tuesday after performing Umrah. However, he was told at the very last minute that the ticket had been cancelled due to some issue with the payment.
“The group told us this as we came outside with our luggage, ready to depart,” said a person who went to Umrah with the Mashar group.
He said the group asked the 50 people who went on Umrah to buy their own tickets to return home. They said they would reimburse the pilgrims later.
With the emergence of the case, the Islamic Minister Dr Mohammed Shaheem Ali Saeed said on Wednesday that the case of a group that was illegally extorting money from people for Umrah will be reported to the police.
Although the minister did not name the group, Atoll Times has ascertained that it is the case of the India-based Mashar Tours & Travels.
According to what the Minister wrote on X:
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The group was extorting money from people illegally
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They were negligent with the people’s money
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The case will be investigated and submitted to the police for action right away
The Islamic Ministry had issued warnings in January against the Mashar group and other groups for charging money for Umrah without the ministry’s permission.
A similar case of this group surfaced during Ramadan last year. The ministry had to revoke the group's permission after the cheque they provided was bounced. This time, the group took people to Umrah by changing their name.
