The woman's fake passport was confiscated at Beijing airport. (File photo)
A woman in China was recently caught at Beijing airport for using a fake passport to hide her real age from her boyfriend who is 17 years younger to her. The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, gave her passport for inspection to immigration officers at the airport, South China Morning Post (SCMP) said in a report. One of the officials noticed something "unusual" about her passport information, the outlet said, adding that the woman was born in 1982.
The official then asked the woman to produce other documents, leaving her frustrated and nervous.
The woman tried to snatch the passport from the officer and asked to have a word in private while urging her boyfriend to proceed through the checkpoint.
The woman then revealed that she has two Chinese passport - one with her real age of 41, while in the other, she was 27. The woman told the officer that she wanted to hide her real age from her 24-year-old boyfriend because she thought it would affect their relationship, the SCMP report said.
When the couple made plans to visit Japan, she spent US $900 (approximately Rs 76,000) to get a fake passport that mentioned her year of birth as 1996.
When questioned by immigration officials, she appeared to feel wronged and shouted in frustration: "I only changed my age."
She was eventually fined 3,000 yuan (over Rs 35,000) and her fake passport was confiscated, SCMP said.
The incident has surprised social media users in China, who posted hilarious comments on Weibo and other platforms.
"She changed her birth year from 1982 to 1996; that's a significant age gap. Didn't her boyfriend notice before?" SCMP quoted one user as saying.
"If they have true love, age shouldn't matter. But seriously, it seems she doesn't 'look old' because otherwise, how could she hide it?" commented another.
"Just a 3,000-yuan fine? Is that all?" a third user said.
According to China's Entry and Exit Administration law, using forged or altered immigration documents can lead to detention for five to 10 days and a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,400).