BUTTERWORTH, Sept 8 — A total of 25 individuals suffered losses amounting to RM634,400 after being cheated by a travel agency last year.
All of them who were left stranded at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah on August 5 last year today decided to file a lawsuit against the company after claiming that no action has been taken by the agency to return the amount they had paid.
One of the victims, Muhammad Radhi Shariff Hussain, 56, said the company had been given ample time to return their money but only a small amount was returned.
“This has affected us emotionally as most of us are not from well to do families,” he told a press conference which was also attended by 14 other victims and their lawyers here today.
He also claimed that on the day of the incident (August 5, 2019), the company had failed to inform them in advance that their flight to Jeddah was not accompanied by a licensed mutawwif (guides for pilgrims).
“Upon arrival at the airport, we were denied entry at the Immigration counter after our visa found to be invalid,” said the private sector employee adding that a police report regarding the matter had also been lodged.
It is understood that the pilgrims had each paid around RM30,000 to RM50,000 to apply for the furada haj visa (haj visa obtained by dealing directly with the Saudi Arabian Embassy). — Bernama
