Tangerang. Authorities at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Wednesday thwarted the departure of 34 unauthorized Indonesian pilgrims and two coordinators who were attempting to travel to Mecca using work visas instead of official Hajj permits.

The group was preparing to board a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia despite lacking the special Hajj visas required under Saudi regulations. These visas are strictly regulated through bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to prevent repeated violations in previous years.

Commissioner Yandi Mono, head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the airport police, said the group intended to perform the pilgrimage illegally using a “work visa scheme.”

“They were set to depart on a connecting flight,” Yandi told reporters in Tangerang, Banten.

The pilgrims were booked on Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL 356, traveling from Jakarta to Colombo and onward to Riyadh. Their departure was halted after immigration officers flagged suspicious documents during a routine check.

The group hailed from various regions, including Tegal, Brebes, Lampung, Bengkulu, Palembang, Makassar, Medan, and Jakarta. The pilgrims ranged in age from 35 to 72 years.

Each had paid between Rp 139 million and Rp 175 million ($8,426 to $10,607) to two organizers identified by the initials IA and NF, who arranged their travel.

“IA and NF did not inform the pilgrims that the visas were for work purposes, not for Hajj,” Yandi explained. “They convinced the group by citing a previous successful trip they facilitated in 2024.”

According to the suspects’ statements, once the group arrived in Saudi Arabia, they planned to obtain work permits that would allow them to stay longer and still perform the Hajj.

“We are now investigating IA and NF for suspected violations related to organizing unauthorized Hajj travel,” Yandi said.

The two organizers could face charges under Law No. 8/2019 on the Organization of Hajj and Umrah, which carries a maximum prison sentence of six years.

This year, Indonesia was granted a Hajj quota of 221,000 pilgrims by the Saudi government. Departures began on May 2, with many pilgrims having waited over a decade for their turn to visit the Holy Land.