Pilgrims defrauded by Askoi Group to file lawsuit to recover payments

The pilgrims who were defrauded after paying Askoi Hajj and Umrah Tours for their Umrah trips have decided to file a lawsuit against the company with the Civil Court to recover the lost funds.

This marks at least the third time for Askoi to be hit with allegations of defrauding pilgrims.

The latest allegations emerged on July 17th, with Askoi accused of defrauding multiple pilgrims who paid for umrah, but were not taken on the pilgrimage claiming it was not safe to travel to the Gulf. The allegations come after Askoi was fined MVR 130,000 for defrauding pilgrims back in May.

The defrauded pilgrims have taken to social media to express their concerns and share details about the funds they lost.

Nashmee Mohamed Saeed, one of the defrauded pilgrims, who spoke with Sun said Askoi has released the passports of the pilgrims amid pressing concerns regarding unsuccessful attempts to get in contact Askoi’s management to recover the passport and other important documents handed over to the company.

Nevertheless, Nashmee emphasized that the payments made by the pilgrims to the company have still not been refunded.

She stated that the pilgrims had lodged a police complaint regarding the fraud, and after days of seeking updates, they were ultimately advised to pursue a case in the Civil Court to recover their funds.

Nashmee criticized lack of efforts by the Police and Islamic Ministry to resolve the issue, which concerns the interests of many. In this regard, she said it was extremely concerning that a group of people have been defrauded of a large sum of money paid to perform a such a holy act.

“I have personally messaged Islamic Ministry. The Ministry replied to an angry message, citing they were investigating the case,” she added.

As such, Nashmee said the pilgrims who made the payments have decided to file a lawsuit. In this regard, she detailed that there some 25 pilgrims who had made the payment to go to Umrah in the same batch as her.

Notably, Islamic Ministry had taken action against Askoi on July 31^st as follows:

• Suspending the umrah license issued to the group
• Imposing a fine
• Banning Askoi Travel Services and any other company with one of its shareholders from obtaining an umrah license
• Ordering a refund for pilgrims who paid to perform umrah in July 2025
• Asking the police for a criminal investigation into the case

The Ministry said it would not hesitate to take administrative and legal action required to hold the company accountable.

Back then, the Ministry noted that neither Askoi nor its owner has responded to queries from the ministry.