East Java Hajj Pilgrims Caught With a Magic Jar and Cigarettes

The Panitia Penyelenggara Ibadah Haji (PPIH) Embarkasi Surabaya, in East Java, says it has confiscated a number of items from Hajj pilgrims from East Java that are prohibited on flights. The confiscated items range from an electronic rice cooker (magic jar) to several cartons of cigarettes. The head of PPIH Embarkasi Surabaya, Mohammad As’adul Anam, said all confiscated items would not be returned to the pilgrims. The firm action is taken as a commitment to deter pilgrims from violating baggage rules. ‘So far there is nothing valuable. The only thing valuable is a pair of scissors. There was one magic jar yesterday. If it’s a small magic jar, how much is it worth? That’s all. It’s not allowed to be carried. So as far as valuables go, God willing there isn’t any. And cigarettes, how much do they cost? About four cartons or so,’ Anam said, on Tuesday (19 May). According to Anam, the policy of not returning confiscated items in the last two years has proven effective. The number of violations related to pilgrims’ baggage this year has fallen very significantly compared with prior Hajj seasons. ‘Because they are banned, it serves as a lesson; this year the numbers are very low because for two years we have not returned confiscated items,’ he said. Regarding details of the types and quantities of items confiscated from pilgrims in the current batch, the PPIH Embarkasi Surabaya explained that the majority of violations were cigarettes exceeding the permitted limit. There were also several electronic items. ‘What we have now is only four, four cartons of cigarettes. That’s the most. The others are one magic jar. That’s it. A power bank too,’ he said. In response to information about reports of 100 cartons of cigarettes confiscated from prospective Indonesian pilgrims upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, Anam said he could not yet confirm. They are awaiting notice or official documents from Saudi authorities as to whether the pilgrims concerned originated from East Java or not. ‘I cannot confirm whether they are from East Java or not; we have not known yet. We hope there will be a notice from there, so we can respond to that news and follow up based on a notice rather than a news report,’ he said. ‘In other words, it doesn’t mean we don’t trust the news, but administrative aspects must be carried out. Therefore, our hope is that, if it is indeed from East Java, what is the notice from there; we will follow up accordingly. Until there is a notice, this may serve as a warning for us to be more careful,’ Anam added. Meanwhile, the operational deployment of Hajj pilgrims from the Surabaya Embarkation Hajj Dormitory up to day 29, on Tuesday (19 May), totals 40,207 pilgrims and staff have departed for the Holy Land. The figure represents 91 percent of the total planned departures for Surabaya Embarkation of 44,080 pilgrims for the 1447 H/2026 M Hajj year. The total planned departures comprise 42,109 pilgrims, 464 staff, 162 Hajj District Officers (PHD), and 140 Hajj and Umrah Guidance Instructors and Group Guidance for Hajj and Umrah (PIH KBIHU) distributed across 116 flight groups (kloter). ‘Alhamdulillah, the operational departure of Hajj pilgrims at the Surabaya Embarkation continues to run smoothly and cordially. The synergy among officers is being strengthened so that pilgrims receive the best service from arrival at the dormitory to departure toward the Holy Land,’ he said. (frd/kid)