A 74-year-old man in India who wanted to check who among residents of his area and family members would grieve over his passing faked his death and staged a fake funeral to see who would attend if eventually he dies, the country’s media reported.

The people of Konchi, a village in India’s Bihar state, were shocked to learn about the sudden passing of Mohan Lal, the 74-year-old former Air Force veteran.

It was confusing to see a procession when most people didn’t even know he had died, but that didn’t stop people from joining the procession, mourning the man, and taking part in all the traditional rites.

But what really stunned people was the moment when Mohan got up from his casket.

They soon learned that the funeral was nothing but a twisted test thought up by the 74-year-old man to see how many people cared about him.

“After death, people carry the bier, but I wanted to witness it myself and know how much respect and affection people give me,” Mohan said when he was asked why he went through the trouble of staging his own funeral.

Mohan asked some of his relatives to help him spread the word about his passing and had other people take him to the crematorium on a decorated bier to make the stunt believable.

Hundreds of residents rushed to join the mourning ceremony, which pleased Mohal and reassured him of the community’s respect.

To make residents, neighbours and some family members forgive him for the mock funeral, Mohan Lal organised a big feast for everyone that attended. (Sunday Tribune)