{
  "id": 14846205,
  "title": "Chinese fugitive poses as dead twin brother for 2 decades exposed by sibling’s ex-lover",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/chinese-fugitive-poses-as-dead-twin-brother-for-2-decades-exposed-by",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T02:25:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3371084/chinese-fugitive-poses-dead-twin-brother-2-decades-exposed-siblings-ex-lover"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Chinese fugitive, surnamed Chen, who had been posing as his deceased twin brother for 19 years, was recently apprehended after his sibling's ex-lover recognized him. The incident occurred in Yuhuan, located in eastern China's Zhejiang province, in 2002. During a robbery, seven suspects abducted their victim and stole his possessions. Local police swiftly arrested six of the suspects, but the seventh, Chen, managed to flee. Extensive searches failed to locate Chen, and the case was deemed closed due to his presumed death in a traffic accident. However, 19 years later, Chen's case resurfaced. Anhui police received a notification from central China stating that Chen's household registration had been cancelled because he had died in a traffic accident. The case remained closed, but 19 years later, Yuhuan police came across a clue in a routine review. They compared identities, origins, and family ties, discovering similarities between Chen and the man mentioned in the clue. Upon visiting Anhui, Chen's relatives, including his mother, sister, and fellow villagers, provided false alibis, claiming it was his younger twin brother who had died in the accident. Despite this, official records, including the household registration office, traffic police, and funeral home documents, all confirmed Chen's death. The only way to prove Chen's true identity was through archived ID photos. Nine days after Chen was officially registered as dead in 2007, his \"older\" brother applied to change his name, and submitted a new ID photo that differed significantly from his previous one. When Chen's relatives refused to cooperate, police turned to his elder brother's ex-girlfriend, Deng. Deng had previously ended a relationship with the fugitive after the traffic accident. After explaining the applicable laws and policies, Deng confirmed that the deceased individual in the accident was Chen's older brother, not the fugitive. Chen was arrested in June, 24 years after committing the crime, after living an ordinary life under a false identity. He now faces a prison sentence of three to 10 years under China's Criminal Law.",
  "summary": "A Chinese fugitive who posed as his deceased twin brother for 19 years was recently arrested after his late brother’s ex-girlfriend identified him. In 2002, a robbery took place in Yuhuan, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Seven suspects abducted the victim and robbed him of cash and valuables. Local police quickly arrested six of the suspects, but the seventh, surnamed Chen, escaped. Police…",
  "key_points": [
    "Chen, Chinese fugitive, posed as deceased twin brother for 19 years",
    "Sister's ex-lover Deng identified Chen using archived ID photos",
    "Chen arrested 24 years after crime, faces 3-10 year prison sentence"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The fugitive's long-term evasion of justice highlights how family collusion and falsified identity documents can successfully bypass official death registrations until an external witness breaks the deception.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}