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New Delhi: A bizarre pension fraud has surfaced in Italy, where a 56-year-old man allegedly posed as his deceased mother to continue collecting her pension.
The unusual wrinkles, a thick neck, and dark hair on his hands and chin raised suspicion and gave away his real identity. The man's identity has not been revealed yet. However, reports say that he is the son of Graziella Dall’Oglio. The 82-year-old woman who died in 2022. The man has been arrested. The man was earlier a nurse and is jobless. He stays in Borgo Virgilio, which is near the city of Mantua.
Police said the man did not report the authorities about his mother’s death. Her mummified body was later discovered inside the house. Police are probing the case and the man has been accused of fraud, public impersonation, and concealing a corpse.
The 56-year-old man impersonated his dead 82-year-old mother. He dressed in a blouse and skirt, with lipstick and a short brown wig, the Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' reported. He continued to collect €53,000 (about Rs 54.79 lakh) a year of her survivor’s pension from her late husband every year and earned income from the family’s real estate and land.
Over the years, he allegedly collected millions of euros in pension payments after his mother’s death. He hid her body instead of reporting it.
It was on November 16 that the man dressed up as his dead mother went to renew her identity card. Renewal of identity card has to be done in person in Italy. While the process was on, a registry office clerk in Borgo Virgilio spotted something bizarre: the dark hair on his neck, hands, and chin, along with his voice. This raised doubt in his mind.
The council officer took prompt action and alerted the police and notified the Mayor of Borgo Virgilio, Francesco Aporti. An official photo of the woman was matched with images of the man in disguise. Shortly later, a probe was launched.
The mayor was quoted as telling the Italian publication, “She (the person claiming the pension) looked very much like the woman in the photo on the ID. But there was something that didn’t convince the employee, like the hair on her neck, the heavy makeup, and it looked like beard holes were protruding from the greasepaint.” The mayor added though the voice was feminine, occasionally a few masculine notes escaped.
Authorities also reviewed surveillance footage and found the “woman” arriving in a car —- despite records showing that Graziella Dall’Oglio didn't possess driver’s licence.
The mayor said that the video surveillance footage was analysed and the woman was seen arriving in a car. "Alarm bells ringing: the woman doesn’t have a driver’s licence … piece by piece, the picture of this unpleasant situation began to emerge,” the mayor said.
To nab the accused in the act, the office clerk called the man and asked him to visit again for further formalities.
The man walked with a cane as he headed towards the registry office, as he wore a dark cardigan with a white scarf, a mid-length skirt, short hair and a bag in his hand, the footage acquired by the Italian outlet La Repubblica showed.
When he returned dressed as his mother, the police immediately arrested him. He confessed to the disguise and confirmed that Graziella was his mother.
After probe was launched, officers found the woman's mummified body covered in bedsheets and a sleeping bag hidden in the laundry room. She may have died of natural causes. However, the autopsy is expected to confirm this.
