In this era of sophisticated forgery, a gang did not realize that the weight of forged documents also matters. Authorities on Wednesday uncovered a professional gang of Haj permit forgers who, obviously, appeared to be immature in their deviant trick. The Indonesian gang, led by an expatriate named Yassin, skillfully managed copies of the official Haj permit with its three parts and the approved colors of the seal of the Passports Department. However, it was not enough to befool the vigilant and shrewd personnel of the Makkah Region Passports Department. Suspicious security personnel kept the gang under surveillance and a trap was laid out to nab the culprits. A mole struck a deal to have a Haj permit for SR200. At the specified time, the apartment in which the dubious dealings were being carried out was raided and material used in forgery was discovered. A large quantity of forged Haj permits, receipts for amounts received, a register containing the names and pictures of overstayers intending to perform Haj were seized from the apartment. Security men also seized receipts for remittances abroad. The forger reportedly conceded that his role ended after handing over permits to overstayers. The Director of Makkah Region Passports Department stressed that all those who helped the forger would be strictly dealt with. He said all securitymen at the checkpoints have been instructed to scrutinize all Haj permits to prevent the crossing of any person with a forged permit or without a Haj permit. The Indonesian gang has been busted within 24 hours after a similar forgery operation was foiled on Tuesday. The kingpin was a Pakistani barber who exploited the name of an Islamic organization to enable tens of overstayers to enter the holy sites under the pretext that they were guests of the organization.
