Dam and Badal Hajj Fraud Uncovered in the Holy Land; Dahnil: Perpetrators Possess Deep Knowledge of Fiqh and Religion

The Indonesian Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, has revealed the crackdown on certain members of the Hajj Guidance Group (KBIHU) from West Java regarding alleged fraudulent practices involving ‘dam’ and ‘badal haji’ services. According to Dahnil, the case was uncovered by the Hajj Pilgrims Protection Team (PPIH) in collaboration with the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI).

The Deputy Minister explained that the transactions uncovered totalled approximately Rp1.4 billion. The alleged fraud involved badal haji (proxy Hajj) for 140 individuals, with charges of around Rp10 million per person.

“Badal haji is clearly a fraud. Because for ‘haji dakhili’ (internal Hajj), which applies only to the local population, the cost is around Rp40 million per person. Therefore, it is impossible for badal haji to be priced at only Rp10 million per person. This is certainly a scam,” Dahnil asserted while seeing off the return of the KNO 7 Hajj group at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday (8/6/2026).

He explained that the alleged practice was carried out by KBIHU members working in collaboration with local residents (mukimin). His office has conducted investigations into the parties involved to further probe the case. “Many of our pilgrims have become victims. The perpetrators are KMT members working with mukimin. We interrogated them last night,” he said.

In addition to the alleged badal haji fraud, the Deputy Minister also highlighted the misappropriation of ‘dam’ payments. He noted that ‘dam’ (sacrificial offerings) is an obligation that must be paid through the official Adahi channel. However, in this case, pilgrims were charged 720 riyals, but the funds were not deposited to Adahi.

“Dam is a mandatory obligation. Here, it must be paid to Adahi. In this instance, pilgrims were charged 720 riyals, but the funds were not submitted to Adahi. They purchased through mukimin at a price of around 400 riyals, and the remainder was pocketed by them,” the Deputy Minister explained.

Dahnil stated that these practices have disadvantaged many pilgrims. The case came to light following complaints from pilgrims who did not receive official receipts from Adahi. “A significant number of people have been harmed, and this emerged from complaints by pilgrims who did not receive receipts or official proof of payment from Adahi,” he concluded.