Indonesia reviews 400,000 Hajj queue data entries for invalidity

Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs is undertaking a significant review of its Hajj pilgrim data, identifying a risk of around 400,000 invalid entries within the 5.7 million-strong waiting list. Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, stated that these records will be re-validated to ensure accuracy.

Simanjuntak explained that the invalid data could represent individuals who have passed away but whose heirs have not opted to take over their Hajj pilgrimage slot or withdraw the deposited funds. "It's possible that some of these 400,000 people waiting for their turn have passed away, and their heirs do not want to replace them or withdraw the funds already paid," he said during a meeting with the House of Representatives in Jakarta. The ministry plans to reconcile this data with population records from the Ministry of Home Affairs to confirm the status of these individuals and their associated funds.

This validation process is crucial for determining the actual number of active Hajj applicants and ensuring the proper management of funds held in the accounts of prospective pilgrims. Beyond Hajj, the ministry is also actively investigating umrah travel companies suspected of fraudulent practices. Simanjuntak highlighted the substantial financial flow in the umrah sector, with an estimated 3 million people performing umrah annually and an average cost of Rp30 million per person, resulting in approximately Rp90 trillion in annual turnover.

"This amount is very large, and there is a risk of fraud in these services, so it needs to be followed by supervision," Simanjuntak noted. He revealed that the ministry is identifying and moving to close down companies involved in fraud. "Just today in Medan, for example, there are stranded pilgrims. Every day, there are always pilgrims who are stranded and defrauded," he added, underscoring the ongoing problem of pilgrims being deceived by unscrupulous travel operators.