Hajj Security Forces have revealed that more than 295,000 people have been detained and returned from Makkah, Saudi Arabia for holding fake permits.

Saudi Arabia had ramped up a crackdown on unregistered worshippers at the 2025 hajj pilgrimage, a year after hundreds perished in scorching conditions.

The Saudi authorities had warned that there would be no hajj without permit, conducted regular raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts aimed at rooting out unauthorised visitors hoping to mingle among the crowds in and around the holy city of Mecca.

Saudi Arabia, according to the Gulf News, had also staged a large-scale security forces parade and military exercises in Mecca as part of intensive preparations for Hajj 2025, showcasing the Kingdom’s operational readiness to protect millions of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage.

Despite the simple message of, “No hajj without a permit”, being blared out in a relentless campaign promoted nationwide at shopping centres, on billboards and across media platforms, Hajj Security Forces have revealed that more than 295,000 people have been detained and returned from Makkah, Saudi Arabia for holding fake permits.

Last year, according to a report by AFP, 1,301 pilgrims, most of them unregistered and lacking access to air-conditioned tents and buses, died as temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be completed by all Muslims with the means at least once, with official permits allocated to countries through a quota system and distributed to individuals via a lottery.

“Even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs make the irregular route — which costs thousands of dollars less — more attractive,” AFP wrote.

According to the global news agency, Saudi officials said 83 percent of those who died last year did not have official hajj permits. (The Guardian)