KUWAIT: A citizen was recently arrested for attempting to include a Saudi national in his citizenship file instead of his son who had just passed away, a local daily reported yesterday quoting well-informed high-ranking security sources. However, with further investigations, citizenship detectives found out that the suspect had done the same with three others in return for money.

The sources added that, similarly, another citizen added two bedoons (stateless) in his and a friend's citizenship files in return for KD 10,000. Case papers indicate that on applying to the citizenship department to issue a citizenship certificate, a citizen who was officially registered to be born in 1997 suspiciously seemed a lot older. However, on interrogating him, the man failed to provide simple information to show that he knows anything about Kuwait, and was referred to criminal investigators who found out that he was 29-years-old and that he was a Saudi national.

The suspect told detectives that he was offered the chance to get a Kuwaiti citizenship four years ago when the other suspect offered adding him to his citizenship file instead of his dead son, and he asked for photographs and issued him a civil ID and a Kuwaiti passport. He then had him fake a marriage contract to get a KD 6,000 marriage loan from the government and split it between them. The suspect also applied for housing, but he was caught when he used his Saudi ID to enter Kuwait and apply for the Kuwaiti citizenship certificate.

On raiding the forger's house in Ali Sabah Al-Salem area, he was arrested and confessed of his actions. He told police that three other people, who were later on arrested, had been added to his file in return for KD 2,000 each. - Al-Rai