Staff Correspondent:

The government will refund over Tk 8.28 crore to 4,978 hajj pilgrims under the government management this year, said Religious Affairs Adviser A F M Khalid Hossain on Sunday.

“This year, we were able to secure accommodation for pilgrims at slightly lower rates than what we initially fixed in the Hajj packages. In some cases, service charges were also reduced,” he said while speaking at a press briefing held at the Ministry of Religious Affairs at the Secretariat.

“We have finalised a detailed calculation and will refund the surplus amount to each pilgrim under the government management,” he added.

Pilgrims under General Hajj Package-1 were accommodated in houses no. 4, 5 and 6.

Those who were accommodated in House No. 4 will receive a refund of Tk 5,315 each while short package pilgrims will get back Tk 23,027.

Besides, those who were accommodated in House No. 5 will be refunded Tk 13,570 each under full package while those who accommodated in House No. 6, will receive Tk 5,315 each.

Pilgrims under General Hajj Package-2 were accommodated in houses no. 1, 2, and 3 and those who were accommodated in House No. 1, will be given back Tk 19,192 each, and short package pilgrims will get Tk 51,692.

Besides, those who were accommodated in House No. 2, will receive Tk 21,142, while short package pilgrims will be refunded Tk 53,642 and those who accommodated in House No. 3, will receive Tk 24,262.

The refund will be directly transferred to the pilgrims’ bank accounts as soon as possible, said the adviser.

“All kinds of payments from the Ministry of Religious Affairs—including refunds to pilgrims, grants to religious institutions or financial aid to the underprivileged—are sent directly to the respective individuals’ or institutions’ bank accounts,” he said.

“No one from the ministry will ever call asking for debit or credit card numbers, or PIN numbers for bKash, Nagad, or Rocket accounts. If anyone does so, it is definitely a fraudster,” he added.

The adviser also urged all to stay alert about it.

He said the return flights began on June 10 and concluded on July 10, following the completion of the formal Hajj rituals on July 8.

A total of 87,145 pilgrims have returned to the country and nine pilgrims are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals and a total of 45 pilgrims passed away during the Hajj season, he added.