22 Umrah passengers stuck in Saudi Arabia, agency fraud

POBNEWS24, Dhaka Apr 22, 2026 : A Hajj agency has given fake flight tickets to 22 Umrah passengers, preventing them from returning home from Saudi Arabia. They are staying in Jeddah illegally as their visas have expired. They are spending their days in fear.
According to the Ministry of Religion, the 22 people went to Saudi Arabia on March 24 to perform Umrah through the “Mask Hajj Group”. The managing director of this agency, Khalilur Rahman, gave them return tickets for an Indigo flight on April 5 for their return. After reaching Saudi Arabia, the Umrah passengers realized that the tickets they were given were fake. It was seen online that there were no seats available on the plane for the people with these tickets. Later, they applied to the councilor at the Bangladesh Hajj Office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On April 19, Councilor (Hajj) Kamrul Islam sent a letter to the Secretary of Religion to take measures for the safe return of the Umrah passengers.
In this regard, Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain (Kaikobad) said, “We have contacted the agency through which they went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. The owner of the agency will take immediate action to return them to their country.” He said, necessary action will be taken against the agency after investigating how this fraud was committed. It is known that “Mask Hajj Group” is a travel agency. It is a member of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB). However, the managing director of the agency, Khalilur Rahman, is selling Umrah packages. According to the rules, if an agency wants to send Umrah passengers to Saudi Arabia, it has to be registered with the Ministry of Religion. Mask Hajj Group has been selling Umrah packages in this way since 2024. 74 Umrah passengers sent by this agency faced a similar problem last month. They returned home after spending more money as they were victims of fraud. This time, Khalilur Rahman is under more pressure because there are government officials among the 22 people. He filed a GD with Paltan Police Station on April 18 against Abdul Karim, the proprietor of the ticket agency “Agency Al Karim Air Aviation” and Monir Hossain, the proprietor of “Good Life Overseas” and partner Bahja.
In this regard, Umrah passenger Abu Yusuf said, “We are facing serious problems due to the negligence and fraud of the agency. We are spending our days in fear of our visas expiring.”
In this regard, Khalilur Rahman said, “I applied for a Hajj and Umrah license from the Ministry of Religion during the Awami League government. I was not given a license. Umrah passengers complained against me out of anger and distress. However, I made arrangements for their accommodation and food as they did not get the tickets.” He said, those who gave the tickets cheated me. The tickets were collected from Bahja director Monir Hossain after paying the full amount. Due to their immoral activities and shortsightedness, the Umrah passengers could not return home on time.
To perform Umrah, it is mandatory to have a flight ticket to and from Saudi Arabia. According to the new rules of the Saudi authorities, no boarding pass is given to any Umrah passenger without a return ticket. To apply for a visa, confirmed flight tickets, hotel bookings on the Nusuk platform, transportation arrangements, and health insurance are required. Usually, these tickets and other arrangements are included in the packages of the agencies. Despite this, these Umrah passengers fell victim to fraud.