Six travel agencies have been accused of defrauding Hajj pilgrims. The agencies allegedly canceled the registrations of at least 19 pilgrims and replaced them with others in exchange for additional payments.
This year, a total of 78 thousand and 500 people registered for Hajj.
Of them, 4 thousand 5 hundred and 65 are traveling under the government management system, while 73 thousand 9 hundred and 35 are going through private agencies.
The issue emerged midway through the Hajj process when 19 registered pilgrims discovered that their registrations had been canceled.
The authorities allege that six agencies replaced them with new pilgrims who paid higher fees.
Meanwhile, Hajj Office stated that legal action will be taken against those involved in irregularities and fraud against pilgrims.