Man claims scam over 'free' funeral service at Melaka Hospital

A man in Melaka alleges he was defrauded by a charity-based funeral service, being charged RM500 for a process he was told would be free. Izam Zamzuri Mulup, 54, from Kuala Lumpur, stated that his sibling passed away at a hotel in Plaza Mahkota on June 12 and was taken to the Forensic Unit of Melaka Hospital for an autopsy the following day.

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They informed me that all arrangements, including washing the body and using the hearse, were free.

Izam contacted an organization offering free charitable funeral services to transport his sibling's body back to Kuala Lumpur for burial. He was informed that all arrangements, including washing the body and using their hearse, would be provided at no cost. After the autopsy and body washing were completed around 4:30 PM on June 13, the hearse departed from Melaka Hospital for a mosque in Kuala Lumpur before the burial.

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They asked for RM300 for washing the body and another RM200 for using the hearse.

However, upon arrival at the mosque, representatives of the organization approached Izam and demanded payment. They requested RM300 for washing the body and RM200 for the hearse service. Izam expressed shock, as this contradicted the initial information that the service was free. Despite his dissatisfaction, he chose to pay the RM500 to proceed with his sibling's burial without further delay.

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I was shocked because initially, they said everything was free. Only when we arrived at the mosque were we asked to pay.

Izam hopes such incidents do not recur, emphasizing that grieving families should not face unexpected financial demands during their time of loss. He felt unable to argue at the time, prioritizing the completion of his sibling's funeral arrangements.

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I didn't want to argue at that time because all the funeral arrangements were in progress. So, I just paid the RM500 as requested.