Detectives in Kenya arrest agent who swindled USD 70,000 from Hajj pilgrims

A Multi-Agency Team led by Kenyan Detectives yesterday arrested a Dugsi teacher, Nur Hassan Abdi. Nur is accused of escaping to Dhobley in Somalia with over Ksh 7 Million belonging to Muslim faithful who were to attend Hajj prayers last year.

Nur Hassan Abdi coned some Muslim pilgrims who were to travel to Hajj in Saudi Arabia and swindled over Sh7 million while working as a Nairobi-based agent.

The around 30 pilgrims were excited at the prospect of traveling to Mecca but, to their dismay, they were left stranded in Eastleigh, Nairobi after the agency and person responsible for their travel arrangements received over Sh7 million and then disappeared.

According to a statement by the detectives, Mr Nur Hassan Abdi, a hajj agent operating under the business name Ithaf Hajj and Umra Agency, allegedly received the cash from a number of prospective pilgrims for the 2019 hajj in Saudi Arabia but did not fulfill his obligations.

He has been on the run with the victims’ passports after being paid between Sh350,000 and Sh400,000 by each individual.

He was arrested while escaping to Dobley, a border town along the Somali/Kenya border.
Omar, who is one of the victims, said the man approached him at his home saying he runs a registered agency that takes people to hajj.

“We wanted to go to Hajj last year August. He took our passport and our money. The guy who has been arrested was nowhere to be seen later on. The guy has taken people to hajj people three times before. He was a trusted agent. The guy just disappeared. But luckily we received our passports,” said Omar

He added that he deposited money to the agency’s account and waited for the day of traveling to Saudi Arabia but the agent was nowhere to be found.

“The day for traveling came, we were ready but the man who approached us was missing and had already received some money from many people,”.
The suspect was a Madrassa teacher and many were shocked when they heard that he had disappeared with people’s money.

Nur Hassan will now be taken to court to answer charges of fraud.
This is the first that a hajj agents swindled money from pilgrims.

Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. It is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime.