Mash'ar Tours have paid for the return of Umrah pilgrims who travelled to Mecca with their agency in Ramazan after the check they issued to pay for the return of 50 pilgrims bounced while they were in Saudi Arabia.
Mash'ar Tours have paid for the return of Umrah pilgrims who travelled to Mecca with their agency in Ramazan after the check they issued to pay for the pilgrims' tickets bounced, leaving them stranded in Saudi Arabia.
53 people traveled to Umrah during Ramadan with Mash'ar Tours this year. The check issued for tickets of 50 pilgrims later bounced as the company failed to pay Ace Travels, the agent that had issued the tickets, within the stipulated period.
The 50 pilgrims were then left stranded in Saudi Arabia with no way of returning to the Maldives.
A family member of one pilgrim who was stranded in Mecca told "Mihaaru" that Mash'ar Tours had initially asked them to buy their own tickets on 16 April.
Four days later on Saturday, the stranded pilgrims were returned to Male' at the expense of Mash'ar Tours.
Mashar Tours had issued a fixed package for Umrah pilgrims this year with the price locked in at MVR 38,500 for a 21-day pilgrimage trip. The package was advertised to have included the cost of accommodation in Mecca and Medina, along with return tickets, visa payments, transportation costs and three daily meals.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs had revoked the license of Mash'ar Hajj and Umrah Group last year over another similar incident where a check issued by the company bounced, leaving 138 pilgrims stranded in Mecca during Ramadan. This year, the owner of Mash'ar Hajj and Umrah Group Ali Farish set up a travel agency "Mash'ar Tours" to take pilgrims to Mecca during Ramadan without possessing a license to do so.
The "Mash'ar Tours" travel agency has not been registered with the Ministry of Tourism. Officials at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs have advised the public against making any payments to the fraudulent company and its affiliates.
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