Separate arrests target alleged fake judges in Egypt
Two men have been detained by Egypt’s Ministry of Interior after a sting operation uncovered a scheme that used fabricated judicial titles to entice people into paying the supposed representatives of government housing agencies.
The suspects, an unemployed youth from Cairo and a student from the Giza region, confessed to a criminal gang that siphoned funds from citizens by promising them residency permits and housing allocations. They also claimed to have staged fake court proceedings to increase the authenticity of their online posts.
According to ministry officials, investigators found a firearm, a judicial sash and documents with a forged title in the possession of one suspect. He allegedly filmed himself inside a courthouse wearing the sash to make the videos appear legitimate before publishing them on social media.
Court employees who were allegedly complicit were also detained and interrogated. They were accused of allowing the main suspect to film inside the courthouse by claiming workplace authorization.
The group is now slated for a rapid criminal trial, with prosecutors insisting that the fraud was designed to extract significant sums from unsuspecting citizens. The Interior Ministry warned of an ongoing crackdown on impersonation scams that exploit social media platforms.
