25/07/2025
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The Great Kuwaiti Citizenship Con – How a Sri Lankan Housemaid Faked a Pregnancy, Fooled a Husband, and Stole a Passport to Gain Nationality for Herself and Her 'Daughter' in a 33-Year Scam
25/07/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, July 25: In a case that has stunned authorities and exposed gaping loopholes in Kuwait's identity and nationality systems, a Sri Lankan woman has been stripped of her Kuwaiti citizenship—33 years after she began a meticulously planned fraud that saw her deceive a Kuwaiti husband, fake a pregnancy, and register another woman’s child as her own.
The shocking saga, which has only now come to full light, also resulted in the revocation of citizenship granted to her so-called "daughter"—who, DNA tests later confirmed, is not related by blood to either the woman or the Kuwaiti man legally listed as her father.
Domestic Worker Turned Mastermind
The case dates back to 1992, when the woman (identified as Costa, a Sri Lankan national) first arrived in Kuwait under a domestic worker visa. Just two years later, her residency ended in disgrace when she was deported in 1994 after an absconding case was filed against her.
However, her banishment was short-lived.
In 1996, Costa re-entered Kuwait, this time under a different name and a new passport. In the absence of advanced biometric screening or fingerprint technology, her previous identity slipped through the cracks.
Shortly after her return, Costa struck up a relationship with a Kuwaiti taxi driver who later married her. At the time, Article 8 of the Nationality Law allowed a foreign woman married to a Kuwaiti citizen to apply for citizenship, provided she had a child with him.
This legal provision would become the foundation for what authorities now describe as one of the most audacious identity frauds in Kuwaiti history.
The Fake Pregnancy and Stolen Identity
To exploit this legal loophole, Costa faked a pregnancy, convincing her husband she was expecting his child. But behind the scenes, she was orchestrating a bold scheme: she reached an agreement with another Sri Lankan woman, who was actually pregnant, to pose as her during childbirth using Costa’s Civil ID.
The plan worked.
The baby girl was born in a Kuwaiti hospital and was legally registered as the daughter of Costa and her Kuwaiti husband—despite neither being the biological parent. Her unsuspecting husband remained entirely in the dark.
From Naturalisation to Divorce and Revelation
With the child officially in her custody, Costa filed a declaration to obtain Kuwaiti citizenship in 2000. Her application was approved, and she was granted nationality based on her "marriage and motherhood."
But in 2008, the fairytale unraveled. After years of growing tension, Costa divorced her husband—and dropped a bombshell: the child was not his.
The devastated man immediately alerted authorities, but at the time, no legal action was taken.
The Truth Comes Out – DNA Doesn’t Lie
More than a decade later, in 2021, the man filed a fresh complaint, demanding a full investigation into the girl’s parentage. The case was reopened by the Criminal Investigations Department, and DNA testing was ordered for all three individuals.
The results were nothing short of explosive: the girl was not the biological daughter of the Kuwaiti citizen—nor of Costa.
Authorities say this was the turning point.
Dual Citizenship Revoked – A 33-Year Lie Ends
In 2024, the Supreme Committee for Citizenship Affairs ruled that Costa’s citizenship had been fraudulently obtained through forgery, deception, and impersonation. Her Kuwaiti nationality was revoked, and shortly afterward, her so-called daughter’s was also stripped.
Officials have since tracked down the real biological mother—a Sri Lankan woman who had been present in Kuwait during the delivery but was later deported. The child, now grown, is being issued Sri Lankan documentation in line with her actual heritage.
33-Year of Fraud Timeline
- 1992: Costa enters Kuwait as a domestic worker.
- 1994: She is deported for absconding.
- 1996: Returns with a new passport and false identity.
- Marries a Kuwaiti taxi driver.
- Fakes a pregnancy, then arranges for another Sri Lankan woman to give birth under her name.
- 2000: Uses the child to successfully apply for Kuwaiti citizenship.
- 2008: Divo2021: Husband files a complaint; investigation is reopened.
- Divorces husband, confesses the child isn’t his.
- DNA results confirm the girl is not related to either parent.
- 2024: Both Costa and her daughter are stripped of their Kuwaiti nationality.
Authorities are now re-examining past naturalisation cases for signs of similar fraud, with calls growing for stricter biometric checks, civil ID protections, and post-citizenship audits to prevent such scandals in the future.
