Published 4:08 pm Friday, October 16, 2026 By William Koblensky Varela Local Journalism Initiative Northern News Service A year-long investigation by the Kugaaruk RCMP ended in an arrest by the Ontario Provincial Police in Pembroke, Ont. “In August 2025, the Kugaaruk RCMP began a fraud investigation after receiving a complaint from the Hamlet of Kugaaruk. Police were notified that a former hamlet employee had defrauded the hamlet office earlier in the year,” said Sgt. George Henrie of the Nunavut RCMP Media. On Oct. 8, Hanah Arafiles, 29, was charged with fraud over $5,000, theft under $5,000, forgery, uttering forged documents, drawing a document without authority and possession of property obtained by crime. A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Arafiles in September. Arafiles has been released from police custody and is scheduled to appear in an Iqaluit court on Nov. 2 to answer to the charges.
Former Kugaaruk hamlet employee charged with fraud over $5,000
