A Pakistani man has been arrested for assuming the identity of a dead Thai citizen for more than 10 years, which allowed him to access services and obtain benefits reserved for Thai citizens, according to the police.
The suspect, identified only as Zeshan, 41, was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on Tuesday. He was taken into police custody following a raid on a house in Bangkok's Thung Khru district on Wednesday.
According to the commander of the Crime Suppression Division, Pol Maj Gen Witthaya Sriprasertphab, the suspect has been slapped with multiple charges, including falsifying official documents, including a national ID card and passport.
The suspect took up the identity of a Thai man who died about a decade ago. His death, however, was never reported to authorities by his family, he said.
The suspect also forged a fake ID card using the deceased man's name to apply for a passport, which he used to travel in and out of the country more than 100 times, he said
Investigators sought evidence to confirm the allegations, after which they asked the court to issue an arrest warrant, he said.
Zeshan, however, has denied the charges filed against him, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Witthaya said police are expanding their investigation to determine if others were involved in the identity fraud.