The key facts

  • In Andijan, a records clerk at a travel agency without a license demanded 4,400 dollars for sending four relatives of a resident of the Balykchy district
  • In the Fergana region, a resident of the Tashlak district born in 2007 received an advance payment of 1,000 dollars out of the promised 2,100
  • Criminal cases have been opened in both incidents; an investigation is underway

Two detentions while receiving money

In the Andijan and Fergana regions, individuals were identified who promised to send citizens on the Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and demanded thousands of dollars for it, although they had no right to engage in such activity. This was reported by Zamon.uz citing operational activities carried out jointly by the State Security Service and internal affairs bodies.

First case: Andijan

A records clerk at a travel agency in the city of Andijan, despite the agency lacking the relevant license, gained the trust of a citizen born in 1999 living in the Balykchy district. For sending four of this citizen's relatives on the pilgrimage, he demanded 4,400 US dollars. He was detained with material evidence at the moment the money was handed over.

Second case: Fergana region

The second episode was recorded in the Fergana region. A resident of the Tashlak district born in 2007 promised to send two residents of the city of Fergana on Umrah through a travel agency in the Namangan region and demanded 2,100 US dollars. He was detained at the moment of receiving an advance payment of 1,000 dollars.

Legal basis and status of the cases

Criminal cases have been opened in both incidents, and investigative actions are currently underway. Organizing Umrah pilgrimages in Uzbekistan requires a special license: according to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 668 of October 12, 2024, activities related to organizing and conducting Umrah events may be carried out only on the basis of such a license. It is precisely the absence of a license among the suspects that distinguishes these cases from the work of legitimate tour operators; the publication does not specify which exact charges have been brought against the detainees or whether the agencies through which the pilgrims were promised to be sent hold any other permits.