Diyala police arrest two over ‘hypnosis’ fraud targeting residents’ cash and gold

BAQUBA — Diyala police said Sunday they had arrested two men, including a Jordanian national, accused of defrauding residents and stealing cash and gold jewelry through an organized scheme in which victims were allegedly deceived into believing they were undergoing hypnosis.

Diyala Police Command said officers from Tahrir Police Station, working with intelligence personnel, acted on reports that two men in traditional attire and speaking with Gulf accents were moving through the Tahrir area claiming to be searching for poor families to give humanitarian assistance.

Initial investigations indicated the pair stole money and gold from several residents by convincing them they were undergoing “hypnosis” before taking their valuables, police said. One alleged victim summoned during the investigation identified both suspects and said cash and gold had previously been stolen from him by the two.

The suspects were brought before an investigating judge, who ordered their detention under Article 456 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which concerns fraud.