More than 3,000 Bangladeshis, who went to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj this year with various private agencies, are yet to return home after performing the pilgrimage.
The last flight with Hajis from Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh landed on October 17.
It has been alleged that some Haj agencies are involved in human trafficking under claims of performing Haj and Umrah.
Bangladesh had cracked down on 95 Haj and Umrah agencies for their involvement in human trafficking in the guise of sending people for performing Umrah last year. These agencies work under the umbrella organisations Haj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) and Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB).
According to the religious affairs ministry, as many as 101,758 Bangladeshis had performed the Haj this year.
“More than 3,000 Haj pilgrims are yet to return home from Saudi Arabia. Many passengers also returned through a third carrier. So, we are awaiting the actual figures from the Saudi Arabian Haj Office and the immigration department,” Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, director, the Haj Department in Dhaka, told newsmen.
Kamal warned that stern action would be taken if anybody or any agency was involved in human trafficking under the pretext of sending passengers to perform Haj or Umrah.
“We won’t tolerate any irregularities in this respect as the country’s image is involved,” he added.
Meanwhile, a HAAB leader said the long package and the use of the third carrier are reasons for the delay in Haj passengers returning home.
“After we get the final numbers from the Haj exit list of Saudi Arabia’s immigration, we will come to know how many Bangladeshis are overstaying there,” HAAB’s senior vice-president Mohammad Helal said.
He also claimed that no agency owner is involved in human trafficking.
“No passenger would like to stay in Saudi Arabia after performing the Haj. Many Hajis are still returning home through a third carrier. Many government officials and other senior officials went to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj using a third carrier,” Helal said in reply to a query.
On January 11, the Cabinet approved the Haj Package 2016, setting the minimum cost for a pilgrim at 304,903 taka, up by 8,697 taka from the previous year.
The licences of 69 Haj and Umrah agencies were cancelled and deposits confiscated last year due to irregularities in sending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage.
Twenty-six other agencies were fined and had their deposits seized.
The religious affairs ministry had decided to punish agencies in accordance with the list of the Saudi Arabian government and recommendations of the probe committee that the ministry formed in September.