Desperate pilgrims without Haj permits are dressing up as women in an attempt to sneak into the holy sites. The men were unveiled by policewomen who were looking out for women trying to enter the area without permits. “In the past few weeks, we've thwarted several attempts by drivers to smuggle illegal and legal residents into Makkah and the holy sites without Haj permits,” said Colonel Badr Bin Hamad Al-Malik, spokesman for the General Directorate of Passports, according to a report in Al-Madina newspaper. “Passports Department officials and road security guards are checking the IDs of people to see if they are Saudis, expatriates or pilgrims, and those without Haj documents or permits will be sent back from this point.” However he warned that “if officers discover that passengers are illegal aliens or residents without permits the smugglers will be detained and their vehicles impounded”. Authorities have brought in a range of measures to make sure crowds are kept under control. Aerial surveillance units are cooperating with hundreds of passports department patrols in order to round up illegal pilgrims. There are nine checkpoints on the way to Makkah and another at Al-Shumaisi through which all pilgrims must pass before performing their rituals. “Most smugglers use dirt roads believing they are not guarded, however, the passports authorities discovered this trick a long time ago and have kept close watch,” Col. Al-Malik added.
