KUWAIT CITY, Dec 3: In a major crackdown on forgery and fraud, the Farwaniya Governorate Criminal Investigation Department, under the Criminal Security Affairs Sector, successfully apprehended a criminal gang specializing in forging official documents and manipulating civil data for financial gain.

The gang consisted of three suspects (one of Asian nationality and two of Arab nationality), who allegedly targeted civil transactions related to lease agreements and residential address changes. Investigations revealed that the suspects exploited automated numbers of certain buildings in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Farwaniya areas to illegally process address changes in exchange for payments ranging from KD 40 to KD 120 per transaction.

Upon receiving initial intelligence, a specialized investigative team was formed to monitor the gang’s activities and gather evidence. Authorities discovered that the suspects were collecting automated numbers from multiple buildings and then deliberately entering false information into official transactions to manipulate the civil registry.

Following the surveillance operation, police executed a coordinated raid, arresting the suspects in the act. At the scene, authorities seized KD 1,694, a printer, a storage device, a camera, and forged documents ready for delivery.

When confronted with the evidence, the suspects confessed to the crimes, acknowledging that the funds and documents were obtained through forgery and illegal manipulation of civil address data. The defendants, along with the seized items, were referred to the competent authorities to face legal proceedings.

The Ministry of Interior reaffirmed its commitment to combating fraud and protecting government data, emphasizing that such criminal activities will be pursued rigorously to maintain the integrity of official records.