UPDATE - 500 Indonesians posing as Philippine Muslims at Haj

UPDATES TO ADD PICTURES

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - A case involving 168 Indonesians arrested at Manila airport with Philippines Hajj passports is larger than first reported, according to a top Indonesian official Wednesday.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly said that many Indonesian citizens taking part in the ploy had already made it to Saudi Arabia.

"A total of 500-700 Indonesia pilgrims using Philippine passport are at hajj," Laoly was quoted by kompas.com as saying at parliament complex Wednesday.

The announcement followed the return of the 168 arrested Aug. 19 on Sunday, among them an elderly couple who had sold a hectare of farmland to pay for the Muslim pilgrimage.

Laoly said those taking part in the scam had been forced to perform Hajj illegally due to the limited quota in Indonesia, while much of the Philippines Hajj quota remained unused.

"This resulted in a number of Hajj travel agencies taking advantages of these conditions," he added

"They are victims of the mafia," he underlined, adding that he hoped the Philippines government would understand and assume them to be victims of fraud.

"Our president [Joko Widodo] has also talked with President [Rodrigo] Duterte about their repatriation."

Laoly said that as part of the travel program they are on, the Indonesians will be expected to first return to the Philippines, where they may face charges

"It [using a false passport] is a criminal offense in the Philippines, as they have forge the identity," he said, adding that he hoped the government would instead allow them directly back to Indonesia.

As the recipient of the largest Hajj quota, Indonesia -- the world’s most populous Muslim country, with a population of around 256 million -- sends around 200,000 pilgrims to Mecca and Medina every year for the largest annual gathering of people in the world.

Each Indonesian pilgrim must pay a deposit of around $2,500 and there are currently more than 2 million Indonesians on the waiting list, prompting some to seek alternatives to registering for the pilgrimage from the archipelago.

Residents of South Sulawesi experience the longest queue of up to 32 years.

Philippines officials have confirmed that 177 Indonesians arrested Aug. 19 were carrying genuine Philippine Hajj passports believed to have been acquired through “fraudulent means” in exchange for $6,000-10,000 each.

The 168 nationals were repatriated after authorities cleared them for deportation, but kept nine others in custody for further investigation.

Following the scandal, the Philippines suspended the issuing of Hajj passports to pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia pending the outcome of an investigation.