Two arrested for impersonating PM advisers, defrauding Yazidi citizens

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service announced Tuesday the arrest of two individuals accused of impersonating advisers to the prime minister and defrauding Yazidi citizens by collecting payments in exchange for fake military recruitment offers.

The arrests were made in Baghdad during a sting operation after the suspects were caught receiving money from members of the Yazidi community, the agency said in a statement. The investigation was launched in western Nineveh and carried out under a warrant issued by the Nineveh Investigative Court.

“With intelligence information and surveillance, the National Security units in western Nineveh were able to lure and apprehend two suspects who had impersonated advisers to the prime minister,” the statement said.

According to authorities, the suspects used forged documents bearing the names of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Defense to falsely claim they were organizing recruitment into a new Popular Mobilization Forces unit composed of Yazidis. They allegedly told victims the unit would include up to 1,200 individuals and demanded 500,000 Iraqi dinars — about $357 — from each person for a fake registration form.

The statement added that forged documents and other materials were seized during the arrest, and that both suspects remain in custody pending legal proceedings.