Hanania Travel Scandal: Thousands Fail to Go on Umrah as Rp 60 Billion Vanishes Without Trace
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — The tangled case of alleged fraud and embezzlement of Umrah pilgrimage funds involving Hanania Travel has now been reported to the police.
Thousands of prospective pilgrims from various departure groups failed to depart for the Holy Land, left with no choice but to suffer the bitter taste of their savings vanishing without a trace.
The company’s CEO, Ahmad Syah Farhan, was officially reported to the Integrated Police Service Centre (SPKT) of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police on Thursday (28 May 2026) evening, with estimated total losses for pilgrims reaching a staggering Rp 60 billion.
Marketing strategies such as word-of-mouth, positive reviews from relatives, and social media influencer promotions successfully attracted thousands of prospective pilgrims.
Joko, 47, a representative of the pilgrims, stated that the Umrah packages were competitively priced at between Rp 30 million and Rp 35 million per package, plus a one-day Dubai transit tour.
Many victims of the alleged fraud had previously travelled with Hanania Travel for a second time.
Mareta, a pilgrim scheduled to depart in the Syawal group, said she had conducted thorough research and trusted Hanania Travel due to its convincing track record.
“Plus, in December they said if I paid early, I’d get a Rp 1 million discount per person. So I was tempted and paid quickly, totalling Rp 115 million for my family,” Mareta explained.
On 18 March, eight days before the first group’s departure, the travel agency unilaterally cancelled the trip.
Mareta recounted that Hanania Travel claimed the flights were impossible due to force majeure caused by the war in Iran.
“They said it was force majeure because of the Iran war and Middle East conditions. Since most of us transit through Dubai, they said we couldn’t go,” Mareta said.
The travel agency even claimed their funds were used to cover 300 pilgrims stranded in Jeddah for 12 days and unable to return due to the conflict.