Paying Guarantee, Umrah Travel Boss Couple In Malaysia Arrested On 9 Fraud Reports Released

Illustration. Prospective Umrah pilgrims are waiting for certainty to leave for the Holy Land of Mecca at Soetta Airport, Tangerang, Thursday 27 February 2020. (Between-M Iqbal)

JAKARTA - The couple of travel boss's husband and wife in Malaysia who were arrested for a case of Umrah travel fraud were released after paying a security deposit.

Police chief Johor Datuk M. Kumar said the couple were 32 years old each, detained on Saturday last week. However, it has been released on police guarantees by the Selangor Police Unit.

The two suspects were detained for an investigation into a case of Umrah package fraud reported in Johor, with nine police reports filed so far, involving a loss of RM174,080, he said in a statement today, quoted by Bernama.

However, Kumar explained that the legal process for the boss of Hejira Travel & Tours Holding Sdn Bhd is still ongoing with the investigation file being prepared.

According to him, the file will soon be referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) after it is completed.

"We want to urge and advise the public to conduct an examination and ensure that the travel agency is licensed and has a good track record before involving any Umrah operator," he said.

Previously, as many as eight people including the travel boss couple were detained for three days on charges of fraud in Umrah packages.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan added that there were eight police reports in Selangor related to this case with the estimated death toll reaching 379 people.

From the fraud case only in Selangor, the initial investigation revealed that the total loss of the victims was estimated at RM2.1 million.