Elderly pilgrim from Faisalabad, sentenced to 25 years after 5.5 kg of methamphetamine was found hidden in her luggage, passes away while serving time; family says she was deceived.
An 80-year-old Pakistani woman from the Jaranwala area of Faisalabad has died in a Saudi prison nearly two years after she was arrested on drug-smuggling charges following what her family describes as a free Umrah pilgrimage that turned into a devastating trap.
Anwar Bibi, one of five Pakistanis sentenced to 25 years each by a Saudi court, passed away while serving her sentence. Her body was recently returned to her hometown, where relatives and villagers gathered in mourning. Family members say she and the others had been promised a religious journey by a local figure who arranged free travel, only to discover upon arrival in Jeddah that their luggage contained hidden narcotics.
Elderly Pakistani Pilgrims Jailed in Saudi Drug Smuggling Case:
According to accounts from the family and Pakistani media, Anwar Bibi and her companion Ziarat Bibi, also elderly, travelled in a group that included a local mosque imam and his wife. They were given packages described as “gifts” to deliver. Saudi customs officers at Jeddah airport recovered approximately 5 to 5.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice” or crystal meth, concealed inside the luggage. The five were detained immediately and later convicted of drug smuggling.
Anwar Bibi’s relatives say she contacted them from prison shortly after the arrest, insisting she had no knowledge of the contents of the bags. “They gave us packages as gifts. We did not know what was inside,” her family has told local reporters, echoing similar claims made by other members of the group. The women and their companions were sentenced to lengthy prison terms despite their advanced age and assertions of innocence.
Pakistani authorities launched an investigation. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) filed cases against local facilitators, including a man identified as Saddam Hussain, who was later arrested along with others. Police in the Toba Tek Singh and Jaranwala areas alleged that Hussain and associates ran a network that lured financially struggling people with free Umrah packages and used them as unwitting couriers. Some of the accused denied involvement, claiming previous groups they had sent returned safely.
The case has highlighted a recurring pattern in which vulnerable Pakistanis, often poor or elderly, are exploited through offers of free or heavily subsidised religious travel. Drug-trafficking networks have repeatedly used pilgrims as mules, knowing that Saudi Arabia enforces some of the world’s strictest narcotics laws. Convictions for smuggling can result in decades-long sentences or, in more serious cases, the death penalty.
Anwar Bibi’s Death Sparks Calls to Protect Pakistani Pilgrims:
Anwar Bibi’s death has intensified calls from her family and community for greater protection of Pakistani travellers and stronger action against those who organise such schemes. Relatives have appealed for humanitarian consideration for the remaining prisoners still held in Saudi jails, including Ziarat Bibi and the imam and his wife, whose young children remain in Pakistan.
Pakistani diplomatic channels have been engaged in efforts to assist citizens imprisoned in the Kingdom, though outcomes in drug-related cases remain difficult. Officials in Islamabad have previously urged citizens to exercise extreme caution with unsolicited free Umrah or Hajj offers, warning that such arrangements can conceal criminal activity.
The tragedy of Anwar Bibi underscores the human cost of these scams. A woman who left home hoping to perform a sacred pilgrimage ended her life in a foreign prison cell, her final years defined by a legal ordeal she and her family maintain she never intended. As her body returns to the soil of Jaranwala, questions linger about how many more vulnerable travellers may still fall into similar traps, and whether stronger safeguards can prevent further loss of life and liberty.