Tajik young businessman Bakhtiyor Dodokhonov, his wife and their two children were found dead in one of hotels in Medina, Saudi Arabia on March 5.

The 33-year-old Bakhtior Dodokhonov was the son of the former head of the Sharqi Ozod printing house, Manzourkhon Dodokhonov.  

The news on the death of Bakhtiyor Dodokhonov, his wife and their two sons aged 10 and 12 years old was confirmed by their relatives.

They had reportedly traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah pilgrimage.  

The Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Ḥajj, which has specific dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar.  Umrah is sometimes called the ‘minor pilgrimage’ or ‘lesser pilgrimage’, the Hajj being the ‘major’ pilgrimage which is compulsory for every Muslim who can afford it.  The Umrah is not compulsory but highly recommended.

According to some suggestions, Bakhtiyor Dodokhonov and members of his family were poisoned.  

Meanwhile, Tajikistan’s relevant bodies have not yet released a statement on this tragic event.