CAIRO
Egyptian authorities have arrested several suspects accused of impersonating judges and staging fake courtroom scenes in an elaborate scheme to defraud members of the public by promising access to government housing units in exchange for money.
The arrests followed a complaint by a man who reported being conned by an individual claiming to be a judicial officer with the ability to influence the allocation of public housing.
According to investigators, the principal suspects, an unemployed man from Cairo and a student from Giza, used social media to portray themselves as judges, posting photographs and videos filmed inside a courthouse while dressed in judicial attire to convince victims of their authenticity.
Police recovered a firearm and ammunition, a judicial sash, several mobile phones and identity cards bearing a fabricated judicial title during the arrest of the prime suspect.
Investigators said the suspect admitted wearing the judicial sash while recording videos and taking photographs inside the courthouse to give credibility to his false claims.
The second suspect allegedly confessed to assisting in filming and publishing the misleading content on social media platforms.
Several courthouse employees who appeared in the videos were also detained for questioning. However, they denied any involvement in the fraud, telling investigators they believed the main suspect genuinely worked for one of Egypt’s judicial authorities.
Egypt’s Public Prosecution has ordered the suspects remanded in custody and referred the case to an expedited criminal trial.
The prosecution also cautioned the public against paying individuals who claim they can use official influence or government connections to secure public services, benefits or housing allocations, urging citizens to verify such claims through official channels.
