Baghdad police arrest Syrian national posing as dentist

BAGHDAD — Baghdad police arrested a Syrian national on Sunday in the Husseiniyat al-Maamel area on charges of impersonating a dentist and operating an unlicensed dental clinic, police said.

In a statement, police said they acted on information indicating the presence of an unauthorized medical clinic run by a person posing as a doctor. A team from the al-Zawraa Police Department and al-Saada Police Station was formed and moved to the location.

Police said the suspect was arrested while practicing dentistry without any official or legal authorization.

During questioning, authorities determined that the suspect had previously worked as a construction laborer, according to the statement.

Police said the man was placed in detention and legal procedures were initiated against him.

The case adds to a series of incidents involving unlicensed medical practice in Iraq. In January, Baghdad Rusafa Police Command arrested a woman accused of impersonating a gynecologist and practicing medicine for six years using forged documents.

In July 2025, police in Maysan arrested a woman accused of posing as a doctor at Al-Hakim Teaching Hospital in Amarah after hospital officials confirmed “she had no connection to the institution,” according to police.

In Najaf, authorities shut down an unlicensed cosmetic clinic last May and arrested two suspects, while months earlier another clinic run by a woman impersonating a doctor was closed, with banned drugs and unauthorized tools seized.