Islamic Ministry launches probe after Al Abrar group cancels Umrah trip for over 100 pilgrims

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has opened an investigation into the sudden cancellation of an Umrah trip organised by Al Abrar Pvt Ltd, which left more than 100 pilgrims stranded on Tuesday.

A source told Sun that 110 people were scheduled to depart for Umrah on Tuesday evening. Passengers had been instructed to bring their luggage to the airport between 10am and 11am, but were later asked to bring them again closer to departure time.

According to the source, the group was then summoned to a meeting at 2pm, where they were informed that the trip had been cancelled. Organisers reportedly cited the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as the reason for the cancellation.

“People are extremely worried. Many fear they won’t get another slot for Umrah now. Even last Friday, they assured us everything was fine and that travel to Saudi Arabia was not affected,” the man said, requesting anonymity.

He added that despite passengers having paid around MVR 45,000 each, some had still not been issued visas as of Tuesday evening.

The matter has now been reported to the Islamic Ministry. Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed confirmed that the issue has come to the ministry’s attention and said an investigation is underway. He stated that action will be taken if any wrongdoing is found.

Pilgrims were scheduled to travel with the group on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, meaning more departures are now affected.

The situation in the Middle East has escalated in recent days, with Iran launching retaliatory attacks on U.S. assets in several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. The last 15 days of Ramadan typically see a surge in Maldivians travelling for Umrah, with many paying significant amounts to private groups to secure their trips.

There have been previous cases of irregularities involving Umrah groups, and the ministry has taken action in the past against operators accused of exploiting pilgrims.