A man pretended to be dead to observe the turnout at his own funeral. Mohan Lal, a former Indian Air Force veteran, staged his own funeral in Konchi village, Gaya district, India. Covered in a sheet in a coffin, he was carried towards a crematorium to gauge the attention he would receive.
The social experiment proved successful as hundreds of mourners, believing the 74-year-old had passed away, gathered to bid him farewell. However, as the procession approached the crematorium, Mohan surprised everyone by revealing he was still alive.
Explaining his actions, he expressed a desire to experience firsthand the respect and affection people show after someone’s passing. Following his resurrection, an effigy was burned instead, and a communal feast was arranged for the village. Mohan had also contributed a crematorium to the community to facilitate cremations during rainy seasons.
His various philanthropic endeavors have garnered him high regard and popularity among the locals, as shared by a resident with the media. In a similar incident in 2023, a Brazilian man, Baltazar Lemos, faced backlash for orchestrating a fake funeral to test the attendance of his mourners, resulting in disappointment and anger among those he misled.
Lemos posted misleading updates on social media about his demise, causing shock among friends and family. He organized a service in Curitiba, Brazil, on January 18, promoting the event on his social media accounts.
