The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has blacklisted Challenger Travels, a Bangladeshi lead Hajj agency, for alleged irregularities in pilgrim accommodations in Mecca. The agency is accused of failing to rent proper housing for pilgrims and misrepresenting accommodations by showing one property and placing pilgrims in another. Challenger Travels oversees 1,018 pilgrims through 16 affiliated Hajj agencies, many of whom have already arrived in Mecca.
The action was confirmed during a virtual meeting on Sunday night (May 11) between Saudi Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Hassan Al-Monwar, and officials from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Hajj agencies. As part of the sanctions, the representative’s passport was confiscated, their visa was canceled, and their movement within Saudi Arabia restricted.
The Saudi government also reported that rental documents for approximately 15,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims do not align with actual accommodations—raising serious concerns over fraudulent practices. In response, Minaret cards (used for Hajj services) of these pilgrims have been blocked.
Challenger Travels is owned by Syed Golam Sarwar, who also serves as President of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAB). He denied direct wrongdoing, claiming the issue stemmed from irregularities linked to a sub-agency, Yusuf Air, involving 35 pilgrims. He stated that Challenger was warned but not officially blacklisted, though the Ministry of Religious Affairs confirmed otherwise.
The Ministry has tasked the Bangladesh Hajj Mission in Saudi Arabia to investigate the matter and communicate with Saudi authorities. Joint Secretary Md. Manjurul Haque of the Hajj Branch confirmed that explanations have been sought from the 16 agencies under Challenger Travels and that efforts are underway to resolve the issue.
This year, 87,100 Bangladeshi pilgrims are performing Hajj—81,900 through private agencies and 5,200 under the government quota. The pilgrimage began on April 29.
