Bali Immigration Prevents Departure of 13 Indonesian Citizens Suspected of Irregular Hajj
Badung, Bali — The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Badung Regency, Bali, prevented the departure of 13 Indonesian citizens amid allegations they planned to perform the Hajj outside proper procedures via I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
‘We are committed to supervising immigration in a professional and humane manner to prevent irregular Hajj departures,’ said Bugie Kurniawan, head of Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, in Badung, Bali, on Saturday.
He said authorities have tightened oversight of departures that do not comply with procedures, especially those related to the performance of the Hajj.
He explained that on Friday (May 22), immigration examiners found anomalies during checks of a group of passengers intending to depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Initially, seven Indonesian citizens were subjected to inspection. During the regular inspection, the officers found unclear purposes of the group’s departure.
From the seven, it turned out that six more members had already passed earlier through the automatic immigration inspection gates.
The officers then summoned those six, bringing the total under further examination to 13.
During the follow-up checks, officers found discrepancies in the statements of each member regarding their intended departure.
Suspicion grew when one passenger showed a return ticket for the group’s return to Indonesia on his mobile phone, and a notification in a WhatsApp group named ‘Hebat Haji 2026’.
Additionally, a chat was found asking that families not accompany the group to the airport to mask the true intended departure.
Based on the examination results, officers then prevented the departure of all group members in accordance with applicable laws.
Ngurah Rai Immigration then coordinated with and handed over the 13 Indonesian citizens to the Bandara I Gusti Ngurah Rai Police Resort for further in-depth investigations.
The preventive action was taken under Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration and Minister of Law and HAM Regulation No. 9 of 2024 on the Procedures for Immigration Examinations of Persons Entering or Leaving Indonesia.