Saudi governorates have been ordered to find around 120,000 pilgrims who performed illegal Hajj ceremonies after failing to get a permit, it was reported.

The pilgrims were finger-printed by security agencies in Makkah and the Holy Sites of Mina and Arafat while performing Haj without a permit.

However, the Ministry of Interior has now sent a circular to all regional governorates asking them to start taking action against those Saudis and expatriates, the Saudi Gazette reports.

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It said they would be summoned next Sunday to police stations across the kingdom.

Prince Khaled Al Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, as well as Minister of Hajj, Dr Bandar Hajjar, had previously warned that expatriates who performed Haj without a permit would be deported and banned from the kingdom for 10 years.

According to the sources quoted by the Gazette, more than 200,000 Saudis and expatriates performed Hajj this year without a permit. Last year, the figure was more than 600,000.

The daily English newspaper said Saudis summoned to police stations would have to take a pledge in front of the security authorities, in addition to paying fines. The expatriate violators would be deported and banned from the kingdom for 10 years.

Immediately after the completion of Haj rituals, the General Directorate of Passports started sending text messages to sponsors and employers asking them to terminate work contracts with their expatriate employees who performed Hajj illegally.

It is understood a number of employees have reported that their bosses had received the messages.