An investigation has been taking place in the past months and it has been revealed that during the past decades, a member of Israel’s Bedouin community has continued collecting a pension intended for a woman who has died years ago.

On Tuesday, the suspect was arrested and taken to police for questioning, a 53-year-old man from Kuseife, a Bedouin community in southern Israel. Officials report the fraud amounts to about NIS 1 million.

The event was uncovered a few months ago when the dead woman was invited to attend a birthday party in the President’s Residence for people reaching their 100th birthday, but in her case, she was no longer among the living.

It has been learned the woman was born in 1919, and she died some time ago, but the family continues collecting the monthly funds from Bituach Leumi, Israel’s National Insurance Institute. It has since been learned the woman died in 1991.

The probe continues.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)