The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a woman from the Chinese mainland and a local man on Monday for their alleged involvement in a bogus marriage, PJ spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the suspects as a 42-year-old female surnamed Gao who claimed to be jobless, and her ex-husband’s elder brother surnamed Im, who works as a security guard in Macau.
According to Cheong, the Judiciary Police received a referral from the Prosecutions Office (MP) on May 23, 2025 about a suspected sham marriage case.
The police discovered that Gao had married Im’s younger brother in 2010 and had two daughters with him. She divorced Im’s brother in September 2018 in the Chinese mainland, then registered a marriage in November 2018 with the older Im to ensure that any of their kids born in Macau would directly acquire a Macau ID card, as they would have a “father” who is a local resident, while also circumventing the childbirth restrictions still imposed by the Chinese mainland authorities at that time.
Cheong noted that after the bogus marriage, Gao gave birth to two boys in Macau in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Im then made false declarations to the Identification Services Bureau (DSI), claiming to be the father of the two boys. Additionally, in 2024, Im applied for a Macau resident identity card for Gao based on their fake marriage, citing family reunification as the reason; Cheong said that this application was still under review when the police took action.
Cheong added that Gao did not live in Macau long-term but primarily lived in the Chinese mainland with her original husband, Im’s brother. She only travelled to Macau as her due date approached so that she could give birth here.
The duo have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of document forgery.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
