West Aceh Police Assisted The Departure Of 12 Umrah Pilgrims Who Had Been Abandoned In Bogor

ANTARA/HO-Doc West Aceh Police Public Relations

MEULABOH - The West Aceh Police facilitated the departure of 12 Umrah pilgrims from West Aceh and Nagan Raya districts, Aceh, to Saudi Arabia after previously being abandoned for several weeks and being hospitalized in the Bogor area, West Java.

"We facilitate the departure of this congregation after previously coordinating with the organizers of the departure (travel)," said West Aceh Police Chief AKBP Pandji Santoso, as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 13.

Police Chief Pandji Santoso explained that in fact the total number of pilgrims from West Aceh and Nagan Raya who wanted to go for Umrah to the Holy Land of Mecca, Saudi Arabia was 26 people.

The congregation departed from Meulaboh, West Aceh headed to Medan, North Sumatra then on to Jakarta and Saudi Arabia.

Pilgrims are included in the Umrah package for 12 days with a previous scheduled departure from Jakarta to Saudi Arabia on Friday or Saturday, December 16 or 17 2022.

However, some of these pilgrims could only depart on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, for 11 pilgrims and the remaining 15 pilgrims still live in Bogor, West Java.

The 15 pilgrims who could not depart were promised to depart on Friday, January 6, 2023. But as of Sunday, January 8, 2023, these pilgrims still could not depart.

After conducting a search by the police by sending police personnel to Bogor, West Java, and coordinating with branch management and the travel center, the congregation departed on Wednesday, January 11 2023 via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten.

"While the other three pilgrims were not departed by the travel agency because the pilgrims did not deposit funds for departure because they asked for free rations. The three pilgrims who did not depart were Zaini Dahlan (head of the West Aceh branch), Mujahidin, and T Zulfitri As," said Panji Santoso.