Muslims defrauded by dodgy Hajj tour operators
Nasir Rana, 61, was looking forward to performing his first pilgrimage to Mecca this year. The former government employee put $4,500 from his pension – a sum around three times the average annual salary in Pakistan – into a trip organised by Al-Hashmi travels. But today, as the Hajj draws to its close in the birthplace of the Prophet Mohamed, Mr Rana can only watch disconsolately from home.
He is among 800 Pakistani citizens defrauded by the Hajj tour operator in one of the largest such scams witnessed in the Muslim nation.
A spate of frauds spurred the government of Pakistan to introduce a text-message service this year through which pilgrims can check the legitimacy of their travel agent. Yet the new scheme would not have detected Al-Hashmi Travels, a fully licensed private operator since the year 2000.