Chinese fugitive arrested after nearly two decades of posing as dead twin brother
A Chinese fugitive was arrested after nearly 20 years of posing as his dead twin brother.
Detailing the case, the man, surnamed Chen, was among the seven suspects in a robbery case way back in 2002. The local police were able to arrest six of them, but Chen was able to escape, according to a report by the South China Morning Post and Chinese media outlets.
At the time, police launched an extensive search for the suspect but failed to track him down, and the case eventually went cold. Five years later, Yuhuan police received a notification from Anhui province in central China stating that the suspect’s household registration had been cancelled following his death in a traffic accident. Believing he had died, police closed the case.
Per the outlet, the case was brought back to life 19 years later, when a routine review led Yuhuan police to an unusual clue from Anhui. The information suggested that a man had been living for years under the identity of his deceased twin brother.
This prompted criminal investigator Long Yuwen to review the 2002 robbery case, where he spotted similarities between the original suspect and a new lead. Yuhuan police then formed a special task force and travelled to Anhui to verify the man’s identity.
Investigators heard conflicting accounts from the man’s family and villagers, who said the younger twin had died in a traffic accident.
When Chen’s family refused to cooperate, police contacted his older brother’s ex-girlfriend, Deng, who had ended their relationship after the traffic accident. After police explained the law, she confirmed that the person who died in the accident 19 years earlier was Chen’s older brother, not Chen.
Further investigation into official records and old ID photos revealed that although several documents listed Chen as dead, the original accident report was missing. Police also found that nine days after his reported death in 2007, his “older” brother changed his name and submitted a new ID photo that looked different from his previous one.
Police arrested Chen in June, 24 years after he committed the crime. Under Chinese law, he faces three to 10 years in prison.