Rs. 60,000 demanded for ambulance and cremation expenses !

Why doesn’t govt. pay attention to such a loot ? Anti-social elements trying to make money out of dead people in these adverse times must be punished strictly!

Bengaluru (Karnataka) – Amid the Covid pandemic that has paralysed the society, people are literally going through a lot of hurdles to get their relatives admitted to a hospital and ensure treatment. While the death toll is rising due to this pandemic; cases of looting people for cremation and last rites are coming forward. An incident was reported from Karnataka’s Mathikere where an ambulance staff asked Rs 60,000 from the family members of a dead man to carry his body to the crematorium. Daughter of the deceased was on the verge of pledging her gold chain to give her father a dignified farewell after she was asked to pay Rs. 60,000 for last rites.

Bengaluru: Ambulance driver asks Rs 60,000 to ferry Covid body https://t.co/csqsTpeFnB via @TOIBengaluru pic.twitter.com/FtQG97YbHl

— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) April 22, 2021

A married woman’s father died at home due to Covid in Mathikere. The woman did not realise the demise of her father. She took her father in ambulance to the hospital for treatment, where he was declared dead by the doctors after examination. His body was taken to a private mortuary in ambulance. At that time, the ambulance owner demanded Rs. 60,000 to preserve the body in a freezer for a night and later organise a funeral, while the actual fee is Rs. 3,500 per day. The ambulance owner threatened to throw the body from the flyover if the family failed to pay the money. Representatives of a news channel rushed to the spot after learning about the incident. The ambulance owner was scared after seeing them and finally settled on Rs. 13,000. (Charging Rs. 13,500 while the actual fee is Rs. 3,500 is also a loot. Police case should be registered against such people and they should be punished severely. Govt. must pay attention to such incidents! – Editor) The married woman had pledged to sell her gold chain for incurring the expenses; however, she was saved from doing so.