Some 38 workers are in trouble for skipping work and having colleagues clock in for them - using silicone fingertips to fool a biometric attendance system.

But the scam was discovered after images recorded by an accompanying camera aroused suspicion, Gulf News reports.

The prosecution is part of a broader crackdown in Kuwait on absenteeism in the public sector.

In 2011, a report found around half of public sector workers in Kuwait were failing to show up to work.