Gorontalo DPRD Members Become Suspects In Hajj And Umrah Fraud Cases

JAKARTA - Investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate (Ditreskrimum) of the Gorontalo Police have named a member of the Gorontalo Provincial DPRD with the initials M as a suspect in the alleged fraud case in the implementation of Hajj and Umrah.

Gorontalo Police Chief Inspector General Widodo said the case was first reported to the Gorontalo Police on September 5, 2025, with the reported initials M, a resident of Marisa District, Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo, as the main director of the Hajj and Umrah organizing company.

"The business has been running from 2017 to 2024 and has successfully dispatched pilgrims and Umrah, but uses a work visa," said Inspector General Widodo as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, November 11.

The suspect's way of running the business is to invite prospective consumers through social media or directly register with his Hajj and Umrah travel agency company.

Apart from Gorontalo, the victims came from North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, and North Maluku, with a total of 62 victims.

Of the total number, 44 people were declared canceled, of which nine people only arrived in Dubai, 38 people in Jedah, 16 people managed to carry out the pilgrimage until they returned to their homeland.

The total loss suffered by the victims was Rp. 2.54 billion, where each victim paid money ranging from Rp. 150 million to Rp. 170 million.

To persuade potential victims, M promised the best facilities to be included in the list of furoda hajj or special hajj, but in reality it was not what the promised.

For his actions, M has been named a suspect in cases of fraud and embezzlement, with Articles 120 and 121 of Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Hajj, with the threat of a sentence of six years in prison and a fine of Rp. 6 billion.

"The perpetrator has now been detained. Furthermore, we are still developing whether or not other people are involved in this case," he concluded.