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Bengaluru probes fraudulent websites charging thousands for cremation slots
Greater Bengaluru Authority charges only Rs250 (Dh10) as cremation charges; illegal operators demand hefty sums ranging from Rs3,000 to Rs5,000 (Dh120 to Dh200) for cremating the dead
- PUBLISHED: Thu 25 Jun 2026, 6:21 PM
Several operators of websites accused of reportedly fleecing families seeking cremation services in Bengaluru have been charged with extortion after the civic body filed a case against the allegedly fraudulent outfits
The Bengaluru North City Corporation (BNCC) filed a cybercrime complaint against several websites which were demanding hefty sums from relatives for booking slots at its electric crematoriums.
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The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) charges just Rs250 (about Dh10) as cremation charges, but many unauthorised operators through their websites demanded hefty sums ranging from Rs3,000 to Rs5,000 (Dh120 to Dh200) for cremating the dead. The GBA urged citizens to book slots at its electric crematoriums only through official online portals.
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There are a dozen electric and traditional crematoriums managed by the authority in Bengaluru, besides a score of private facilities. A spokesperson of the BNCC told the media that the fraud surfaced when many people told the corporation that they had to shell out hefty sums to book a slot at its crematoriums.
Earlier this month, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) began offering free electric and CNG cremation services in a bid to cut down smoke produced by conventional wood-based cremations. Many of the crematoriums in the national capital are operated by NGOs and social groups and to provide them assistance, the MCD will be paying Rs500 (about Dh20) per cremation. The free facility though does not apply to traditional, wooden cremations.
According to MCD sources, every cremation in an electric or CNG facility saves about 700kg of wood, and significantly reduces air pollution. Before the introduction of this service, less than 10 per cent of bodies were cremated in Delhi using electric or CNG furnaces. It would cost the civic body about Rs20 million (Dh780,000) a year to provide this service, said an MCD spokesperson.
In April, the Pune Municipal Corporation initiated a move to promote free electric and gas cremation at over a score of cemeteries to reduce pollution and deforestation.
Manisha Shekatkar, the chief engineer at the Pune Municipal Corporation, told reporters that the civic body recently introduced a QR code-based system to facilitate access to electric and gas crematoriums in a bid to shift to environmentally-sustainable funeral practices. “We’ve seen a 50 per cent shift to eco-friendly cremations,” she said.
To encourage residents to opt for such environment-friendly practices, the civic body is providing the services free. An electric cremation costs about Rs5,000 (Dh195) while gas-based ones cost about Rs3,000 (Dh120), she added.
A few years back during the peak of the Covid crisis, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood had urged the Indian government and the state governments to make cremation grounds free for people, especially those who cannot afford the hefty costs.
