The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has opted to report Mash'ar Tours, a group offering Umrah packages, to the police.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has opted to report Mash'ar Tours, a group offering Umrah packages, to the police.
In a post on X, Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed stated that a police complaint will be filed today to investigate and take action against an organization that has been collecting money from individuals, contrary to official rules in the Maldives governing Umrah travel.
While the minister announced the intention to report Mash'ar Tours to the police, approximately 50 individuals who undertook Umrah trips last Ramadan through the agency are currently stranded in Mecca.
Ali Farish, the agency's owner, previously facilitated Umrah trips under the name Al Mash'ar Hajj and Umrah Group last year. However, 138 individuals who traveled during last Ramadan were left in limbo as their ticket dues went unpaid, due to bounced cheques which led to the subsequent revocation of the group's permission by the ministry.
This year, Ali Farish circumvented previous setbacks by launching a different company, Mash'ar Tours to organize Umrah trips. However, it has come to light that the agency is not registered with the Tourism Ministry as a legitimate travel entity.
Mihaaru revealed that Farish instructed pilgrims to obtain return tickets independently if they have the means, pledging reimbursement within 30 days. However, the pilgrims had already prepaid for their tickets.
Agent Ace Travels, the entity responsible for selling tickets to Mashar Tours this time, canceled return tickets last month after the agency failed to meet payment deadlines.
Sign In