Authorities busted an apartment which was turned into a fake Haj company run by two foreign nationals. The police were tipped off on suspicious activities inside the apartment as tens of foreigners keep coming in and out of the apartment from early morning till midnight. The apartment was put under surveillance to confirm the reports and a raid was conducted Tuesday night. The police found a large computer network to help the operators provide Haj services to foreigners either legally residing in the Kingdom or coming on visit and business visa. The operators were arrested with SR250,000 in cash in their possession. They were found to sell each Haj package for as low as SR2,500. The customers said they were under the impression that the Haj company was legally licensed. Gen. Ali Al-Saadi, chief of Jeddah police, warned against running illegal Haj companies and urged the public to be extra cautious when approaching those companies. The Haj Ministry has established a toll free number 8002444480 for local pilgrims to call to verify their Haj companies. The number receives an average of 900 calls a day from local pilgrims.
