STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has urged citizens to strictly comply with Saudi Arabia’s hajj regulations and avoid attempting to perform the pilgrimage without official permits.

This warning comes after Saudi Arabia introduced tougher penalties ahead of this year’s Hajj to control overcrowding and improve pilgrim safety.

Under the new rules, individuals caught performing or attempting to perform hajj without a valid permit could face fines of up to SAR (Saudi riyals) 20,000 (approximately Tk 6.50 lakh).

According to a statement issued by the religious affairs ministry, the Saudi Ministry of Interior also warned of strict action against those facilitating unauthorised pilgrims, including transport providers, accommodation owners,

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