JEDDAH: The fingerprint scanning system at the regional Immigration Department in Makkah has caught in the last three weeks 1,290 persons attempting to leave the country under false identities, 294 of them wanted by authorities for criminal offenses. The 1,290 were among 15,561 persons who had their identities checked during the period by the fingerprint system at the Makkah regional department, and head of the administration Hussein Al-Harithy said they were turned over to the relevant authorities. “The public can also help in apprehending offenders by refraining from proving them with accommodation, and sponsors should cooperate with by ensuring their employees register their fingerprints to protect individuals' rights,” Al-Harithy said. Muhammad Al-Hussein, head of the Makkah Passports division, meanwhile, said that the “majority of persons gathering at consulates and embassies and under overpasses” are “not necessarily overstayers from pilgrim visas”. “Some of them try to trick their consulates into giving them replacement documents under different names to enable them to go back to their home countries and evade action over offenses or crimes,” he said.
