32 Prospective Unofficial Hajj Pilgrims Prevented from Departing at Soekarno-Hatta Airport

TANGERANG — A total of 3_2 individuals suspected of attempting to perform the Hajj pilgrimage via non-procedural channels were prevented from departing at Terminal 2F of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang City. The group of passengers was intended to fly to Singapore before continuing their journey to another country.

“This began when Immigration officers intercepted 32 passengers scheduled to fly on flight ID7157 on the Jakarta-Singapore route,” stated the Chief of Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police, Kombes Pol Wisnu Wardana, in a written statement on Monday (18/5/2026). Officers discovered that most of the passengers were using Saudi Arabian work visas.

Following this discovery, police conducted thorough inspections of all passengers. The investigation revealed that 26 individuals claimed they were participating in a six-day tour package to Hainan through a travel agency, identified as Travel F, at a cost of Rp 15 million per person. Payments were transferred directly to the travel agency’s corporate account, and the group was accompanied by a tour leader identified by the initials EM.

Furthermore, five other passengers admitted that their primary objective was to perform the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. This included a married couple from Ponorogo, identified by the initials DA and KA, who claimed they obtained information regarding the departure via TikTok and paid Rp 250 million each to the travel agency. Another individual, SNB, admitted they were planning to wait for a ‘tasreh’ (official Hajj permit) in Hainan before proceeding to Saudi Arabia. SNB stated they were registered by their foster child at a cost of Rp 185 million. Following the incident, police proceeded to interrogate the tour leader, EM, who was accompanying the group.