‘Dead’ Kuwaiti Man Suddenly Had Children - How He Fooled Authorities for Decades

KUWAIT CITY, Jul 30: A decades-old citizenship fraud case has been uncovered in Kuwait after investigators discovered that a man had allegedly stolen the identity of a Kuwaiti citizen who had died more than 17 years earlier, obtaining a civil ID in the deceased man’s name and living under a false identity for decades.

The shocking case came to light after a confidential tip reached the Nationality Investigation Department, triggering a detailed investigation that eventually exposed a long-running identity deception.

According to informed security sources, the original Kuwaiti citizen was born in 1940 and died on April 26, 1970, at the age of 30. However, years after his death, another person allegedly assumed his identity and obtained a Kuwaiti civil ID number under his name in 1987.

Investigators believe the fraud was made possible due to the absence of full electronic data integration between government departments at the time, particularly between the Nationality Department and the Births and Deaths Registry.

The investigation revealed that while official records showed the original citizen had died decades earlier, another person was still alive, using his name, holding Kuwaiti documents and even having children registered under the false identity.

Authorities contacted the Births and Deaths Department, which confirmed that the original identity holder had been deceased since 1970.

Investigators then tracked down and arrested the suspect.

During questioning, the suspect reportedly confessed that he held another Gulf nationality and disclosed his real name and date of birth. Authorities also found a driver’s license issued by his Gulf country, containing his actual identity, age and nationality.

The suspect had claimed an official Kuwaiti age matching the deceased man, making him appear to have been born in 1940.

However, forensic and medical experts conducted an age assessment examination, which found that his physical age did not match the official records.

The results supported investigators’ findings that the man was actually born in 1960, meaning he was around 66 years old, not the 86 years recorded under the stolen Kuwaiti identity.

Authorities said the medical assessment made it impossible for him to have been born in 1940, confirming the major inconsistencies in his citizenship file.

Investigators relied on four major pieces of evidence:

Following the investigation, the case was referred to the Public Prosecution on charges related to citizenship forgery.

The Higher Committee for Citizenship Investigation decided to revoke the Kuwaiti citizenship of the suspect and all 20 of his dependents.

Officials said the case highlights how some old citizenship fraud files remained hidden for years due to limited electronic connections between government agencies in previous decades.

With the introduction of the civil ID system in 1986, Kuwait began gradually linking government databases, allowing authorities years later to uncover cases where identities continued to exist despite the official deaths of their original holders.

The investigation remains under legal review, with authorities continuing to examine the full file, while noting that no DNA testing was conducted in this case so far.