Egyptian authorities have arrested several people accused of impersonating judges to defraud citizens, according to the Ministry of Interior. The scam allegedly involved staging fake courtroom scenes and posing as a judge on social media to appear credible, with the aim of persuading victims to hand over money.

The two main suspects, described as an unemployed man and a student from Cairo and Giza, are said to have confessed to running a criminal gang that falsely claimed it could allocate government housing to citizens in exchange for payment. Police reportedly seized a firearm, a judicial sash and fake identity cards bearing a judicial title from the lead suspect, who admitted filming himself in a courthouse wearing the sash to bolster his fraudulent claims. State media outlet al-Ahram said several court employees were also questioned, having reportedly been told by the main suspect that he worked for one of Egypt's judicial authorities; those involved have been referred for an expedited criminal trial.