Three fugitives convicted in absentia for 2018 child assault arrested in Babylon after eight years

BABYLON, Iraq — Police in Iraq's Babylon province have arrested three fugitives who had been sentenced in absentia in 2020 to 15 years in prison each in connection with a 2018 assault on a child, the Babylon Police Command said. The suspects had evaded capture for years before being tracked through technical methods, according to the command. Authorities said investigators identified new phone numbers used by the suspects and examined their social media accounts and electronic group activity. Digital data was cross-referenced with field intelligence, allowing police to locate two of the fugitives, who were apprehended in a coordinated operation. A court subsequently confirmed their in-absentia sentences, the command added. Following further security work, the third suspect, who had been wanted for roughly eight years, was detained in the same operation. The command said the man was arrested under the relevant legal provisions and would be referred to the competent court for confirmation of his sentence and completion of the required legal proceedings. No further details on the case were immediately available.