Criminals are selling fake Haj permits to help local drivers enter Makkah illegally, with prices ranging from SR1,000 to SR2,500, according to reports in local media on Tuesday.
The traffic department has warned that drivers and domestic pilgrims face heavy penalties if they are found with these forged documents, the reports stated.
As an added security measure, the traffic department has now introduced special stickers purchased with legal permits, which can be placed on the windscreen of a car.
“Inspectors can easily detect forged permits because they are no match for the permits issued by the traffic department. They are very difficult to forge,” said a spokesman from the Haj Traffic Authority.
Brig. Hadi Al-Subaie, a commander at the traffic department, said the current traffic plan covers about 2.5 million square meters of the region, and encompasses 52 traffic centers and stations.
He said the plan involves six phases, starting from the Day of Tarwiyah, on Dhul Hijjah 8 or Sept. 22, when pilgrims travel from Makkah to Mina in preparation for the Standing in Arafat.
This is when the roads would be opened for buses. However, many pilgrims would not need to travel on buses or use other road transport because the holy sites’ train service would be operational, he said.
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