KUWAIT CITY, May 1: Hawally detectives have referred a Kuwaiti citizen to the Public Prosecution in connection with a land fraud case involving a bogus real estate deal in a neighboring Gulf country. The referral was accompanied by an investigative report that corroborates the victim’s complaint and refutes the defendant’s claim that the money in question was a personal loan.

According to a security source, the case began when a Kuwaiti woman, born in 1984, filed a complaint at the Hawally Police Station alleging that she had been defrauded of KD 3,500. She told police she had seen an advertisement on a social media platform promoting the sale of a prime plot of land in a Gulf country. After reaching out to the advertiser, who identified himself as a Kuwaiti citizen, she agreed to purchase the land. She transferred KD 3,500 as a down payment, with the balance to be settled after inspecting the site in person.

However, upon traveling to the specified location, the woman discovered that no such plot existed. “I found out I had bought an illusion,” she told police. “There was no land for sale in the area the seller had mentioned. When I confronted him, he began avoiding me and eventually stopped answering my calls altogether. He never returned the down payment.”

Detectives from the Hawally Investigations Department took over the case and summoned the 45-year-old suspect. During questioning, he admitted receiving the KD 3,500 but claimed it was a debt owed to him by the complainant, not payment for any land transaction.

However, further inquiries by investigators contradicted the defendant’s version of events. Both parties were re-interviewed, and the detectives’ report ultimately concluded that the man had indeed committed fraud. A background check revealed that the suspect has a prior criminal record involving similar fraud and deception cases, according to the Ministry of Interior’s database.

The case has now been formally referred to the Public Prosecution for further legal action.