Unlicensed tour companies were caught organizing Umrah pilgrimages

On December 10, 2024, a Samarkand-based tour company was caught illegally organizing Umrah pilgrimages without the required license. The Committee for Religious Affairs announced this during a special operation conducted in the region.

An employee of "Atlas Avia Tour," a tourist agency in Samarkand, was apprehended while promising to arrange an Umrah pilgrimage for a citizen, A.D. The suspect, born in 2002, had also collected $3,600 from other individuals under pretenses.

As a result, a criminal case was filed under Article 168(2) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which deals with fraud. Pre-investigation proceedings are currently underway to uncover further details of the case.

This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, similar illegal operations were uncovered involving “Ultra Parvoz,” a tour company in the Uchkuprik district of the Fergana region, and “Yasin Travel,” a Tashkent-based agency. Both companies were found sending citizens on unauthorized Umrah trips without licenses. Notably, Yasin Travel illegally facilitated Umrah pilgrimages for 74 individuals. Criminal cases under Article 168 of the Criminal Code were also filed against these companies.