Tunisia woman pregnant with 12 babies exposed as fraud

A woman who claimed she was on the verge of having a world recordbreaking 12 babies was in hiding on Wednesday after being exposed as a fraud.


Known only as AF, the 34-year-old told medics in her home town of Gafsa, Tunisia, that she was due to give birth to duodecaplets later this month. But an investigation by the country’s Health Ministry has revealed that she has “psychological problems and is unlikely even to be pregnant”.


A spokesman in Tunis, the country’s capital, added: “Our staff interviewed her at length, but even her pregnancy appears to be in her imagination. “She’s claiming to be nine months pregnant with six boys and six girls, but there’s absolute nothing about her appearance which indicates this.”

“The woman has refused point blank to undergo a medical exam. Now we can’t contact her. She’s gone into hiding.”

A doctor at No’man al Adab Hospital, the only one in the town of Gafsa, confirmed that the woman had never been in their care, and had “undoubtedly” made the whole thing up.

“It may be that she’s trying to make money from television,” he said. “These kind of people can make thousands from appearing on programmes. Perhaps that’s what motivated her.” The woman’s husband, described as Marwan, is known to have hired a lawyer to deal with media enquiries.

“Even he’s missing now,” said the doctor. “There’s something suspicious and we wouldn’t be surprised if this matter ended up with police.” AGENCIES