Kuala lumpur: The family of an Indian woman who disappeared after falling into a sinkhole at Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur in August 2024 has urged the government to issue a death certificate to enable compensation claims to be initiated.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, lawyer Muhamad Saifullah Muhamad Azmi, representing the family, stated that the victim, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, is still classified as a missing person, and thus a death certificate has not been issued. He mentioned that a written application was submitted to the Attorney General's Chambers and the National Registration Department on February 24 to facilitate the issuance of the death certificate.
Muhamad Saifullah emphasized that only with a death certificate can compensation claims be initiated legally and in an orderly manner under the existing legal framework. As long as the victim's status remains as missing, the family or next of kin have no legal avenue to proceed with claims or complete other official matters. He added that no court action has been filed so far to claim compensation, as they prefer to allow room for discussions with the relevant ministries and agencies first.
Another lawyer, M. Partiben, highlighted that the victim's only child, M. Surya, 27, is facing financial pressure, including bank debts that require official confirmation of death for loan settlement purposes. He revealed that G. Vijaya had outstanding bank loans totaling RM8,546.51, in addition to unlicensed moneylender borrowings amounting to between RM40,000 and RM45,000. The next of kin previously received a goodwill contribution of RM30,000, but this should not be equated with the compensation that ought to be considered following this incident.
Surya mentioned that this was his seventh trip to Malaysia since 2024 to manage matters related to the case, with total expenses exceeding RM50,000, or about RM8,000 for each trip. He appealed to the Malaysian authorities to expedite the issuance of his mother's death certificate to facilitate compensation matters and the settlement of debts in India.
In the August 23 incident, the victim was reported missing after falling into an eight-metre-deep sinkhole. Search and rescue operations were carried out for nine days before being called off due to concerns about the safety of the rescue personnel.