Kendari City Police Detain Suspect in Umrah Fraud That Cost Residents Rp1.8 Billion

Kendari City Police (Polresta Kendari), Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra), have detained a man identified by the initials AK (26) in connection with a case of alleged fraud and embezzlement of funds from umrah pilgrims, resulting in losses to residents totalling Rp1.8 billion. Kendari City Police Chief, Comb. Ed. L. Sengka, said the suspect AK carried out his actions by impersonating an official representative of Travelina Indonesia, a Jakarta-based travel company, to recruit pilgrims in Sulawesi Tenggara. ‘The suspect AK used a modus operandi pretending to be Travelina’s official representative in Kendari. However, the deposits from pilgrims went into the suspect’s personal account rather than the company’s,’ he said. Investigations show 144 victims: 64 umrah pilgrims and 80 prospective pilgrims. They were scheduled to depart in March 2026, but the departure did not take place, with total losses estimated at Rp1.8 billion. ‘The main motive was to obtain personal economic gain by collecting pilgrims’ funds. We also seized evidence including a travel banner, pilgrims’ passports, registration receipts, and expired air tickets,’ he added. For his actions, the suspect faces charges under Article 122 in conjunction with Article 115 and/or Article 124 in conjunction with Article 117 of Indonesian Law Number 14 of 2025 on the Management of Hajj and Umrah, as well as related provisions in the Penal Code. The suspect faces 6-8 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp2 billion. The police said they are continuing to probe to determine whether other parties were involved in the operation of the illegal travel agency. The Kendari City Police Chief urged the public to verify the legality of Hajj and Umrah travel organisers (PPIU) before depositing funds. ‘The impact of this case, travel agencies in Sultra are realising the importance of official licences. In coordination with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, currently there are no travel agencies in Sultra with an independently held PPIU licence,’ he said.