Baghdad’s Al-Rusafa Police Command announced on Friday the arrest of a man accused of practicing witchcraft and sorcery in an area on the Rusafa side of the capital.
The command said in a statement that a joint security force from the Third Al-Sadr Police Department and Hay Tariq Police Station carried out the operation, during which officers seized 37 locks bearing the names of several individuals, in addition to various tools and materials allegedly used in sorcery practices.
The suspect was taken into custody at the relevant police center as legal proceedings against him are being initiated.
The arrest is part of ongoing security measures targeting practitioners of witchcraft and sorcery in Iraq, particularly amid increasing complaints over fraud and blackmail allegedly associated with such activities. The measures also come in line with a 2017 Interior Ministry decision to shut down witchcraft and sorcery offices and prosecute violators.
Specialists say the spread of such practices is linked to a range of social and economic pressures, including declining awareness, unemployment and deteriorating living conditions, as well as the lasting effects of conflict and crises, which may lead some people to seek help from fortune-tellers and practitioners of sorcery.
