DUSHANBE, February 27, Asia-Plus — Fraudulent tour operator that had been engaged in false preparation of documents for participation of Tajik Muslims in the Hajj has been exposed in Dushanbe, Asia-Plus has learned at the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
The source at a MoI said that top managers of the Dushanbe tour operator Kholiq Muzaffar, Nazrisho Haqnazarov, Fazliddin Ahliddin and Tavarali Kasirov, face charge of fraud. “17 Tajik Hajjis have become victims of this fraudulent company,” the source said.
According to him, 17 persons applied to Kholiq Muzaffar last December for preparing their documents for participation in the Hajj, and each of them deposited $1,000 to $2,5000 prior to departure. “However, they were not sent to Hajj.”
In the meantime, the directorate of religious affairs (DRA) at the Ministry of Culture (MoC) is engaged in organization of participation of Tajik Muslims in the Hajj. The government requires air travel for the Hajj and controls local tour operators, citing hygiene and safety concerns as reasons for limiting other means of travel. Hajjis are required to register with the DRA. 5,000 Tajik Muslims participated in the Hajj last December and deposited $2,580 prior to departure.
We will recall that Russian website Russkiye Emiraty reported on December 13, 2007 that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has assumed payment of expenses on continuation of pilgrimage of a group of Tajik and Kyrgyz Muslims who got stuck in UAE. Referring to the news agency BAM, the information, in particular, said some 600 Tajik and Kyrgyz Muslims had found themselves in irregular situation in UAE, without means and proper travel documents, becoming victims of fraud. The pilgrims allegedly paid $5,000 each to brokers for organizing their pilgrimage to Mecca but were defrauded. Russkiye Emiraty cited the news agency BAM as saying that several hundreds of Tajik and Kyrgyz pilgrims got stuck in Sharjah, Dubai and El Fujearah, where they stayed for several days without entry visas and air tickets for flying to Saudi Arabia, and charitable organization of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Nahyan paid all expenses on their travel to Saudi Arabia.
