Mummy returns: Italy’s ‘Mrs Doubtfire' scandal

Authorities in northern Italy have arrested a 56-year-old former nurse who allegedly disguised himself as his deceased mother to fraudulently collect her pension, a case that local media have dubbed the “Mrs Doubtfire scandal”.

- Agencies

Mrs Doubtfire is a nineties comedy film where Robin Williams plays a recently divorced man who disguises himself as an elderly female housekeeper to spend time with his children.

According to officials in Mantua, the man, whose name has not been released, is the son of Graziella DalfOglio, who died in 2022 at the age of 82 in the town of Borgo Virgilio. Police say he never reported her death and continued claiming thousands of euros in state pension. Corriere said the man was an unemployed nurse who, thanks to his mother’s pension and three properties, had an annual income of €53,000.