Mina, November 04: The Passport Department has sent back 89,000 people who were traveling to Makkah without Haj permit.
The passport officials also arrested 1,600 overstayers and those who violated residence regulations or attempting to sneak in with forged permits, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
There are 16 passport checkpoints around Makkah and four in Madinah region.
In a related development, the police prevented the entry of 4,158 vehicles and sent them back because the passengers did not carry Haj permits until Thursday evening, a statement of the Makkah police said ixn Mina.
-Arab News