*** Unlicensed Hajj trip ends in two deaths | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Unlicensed Hajj trip ends in two deaths

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A man has been ordered to pay BD10,000 after running an unlicensed Hajj campaign that ended with two deaths.

The ruling, handed down by the Second Lower Criminal Court and backed by the High Criminal Appeals Court, has now been upheld by the Court of Cassation.

He took 80 people on the pilgrimage in 2023, charging each BD500. Neither the group nor its organiser had permission to travel under any recognised Hajj operator.

The case surfaced after the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf raised a complaint during its routine checks on Hajj operations for the 1444 Hijri season.

That year’s pilgrimage, which fell in 2023, brought the man’s unsanctioned tour to light.

Two Bahraini pilgrims who died during the trip were later found to have travelled with the group in question. They were not listed among those authorised by the relevant bodies.