The gangster, the phone call, and the golden casket: Behind a funeral switcheroo that was all for show

Sydney Morning Herald

a day ago

The inside story of how Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim was laid to rest is a bizarre tale that shows just how obsessed the gangland is with appearances, even in death.
After nearly a year of desperately running to stay ahead of his legions of enemies, Abdulrahim was gunned down in a meticulously planned ambush at a Preston hotel parking garage on January 28, a brutal end for the man who had become the most hunted figure in Melbourne's underworld.
It was about an hour before the scheduled start of the funeral of 'Suna', as he was known to family and friends, when those closest to him – and most worried about his reputation – realised they had a problem.
The 32-year-old underworld figure-turned-boxer had been laid out in a basic wooden coffin for his memorial service inside the Alawi Islamic Association of Victoria Centre in Epping.
Normally, the style of coffin would not be that important – in the Islamic tradition, the dearly departed are ultimately buried wrapped only in a shroud.
But in life, appearances really mattered to Abdulrahim – he was all about flash cars, flash jewellery, flash women and big boasts, all part of his quest for a fearsome reputation inside in the ring and out on the streets.
It was becoming obvious to those who cared the most deeply for him that the plain box just would not do.
The problem? There was a press pack already swarming outside the hall, and mourners were beginning to arrive.
'It just didn't look right. It didn't look right enough for Suna,' an underworld source said. 'They were worried about what it would say [when it was seen] in the media.'
Abdulrahim had become infamous, in part for his flamboyant ways but mostly because of what had been done to him rather than what he had done in the underworld.
This was a man who had fought his way into a cruiserweight title, a former Mongol bikie who'd made enough enemies to warrant a $1 million contract on his head. And yet, he would still taunt them.
In just a few short years, he'd put off so many dangerous players in Melbourne's underworld that he was bashed, bricked, firebombed, and shot at in no fewer than 18 separate attacks before his death. That included surviving eight gunshot wounds at a funeral (outside the place he was to be buried that day) in 2022 and avoiding a hail of 17 bullets just months before his murder.
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His list of enemies was a roll call of the top echelon of Melbourne's underworld – the Mongols and Comanchero bikie clubs, underworld killers Gavin 'Capable' Preston and Nabil Maghnie, and the suspected architect of his murder, tobacco kingpin Kazem Hamad.
Back at the funeral, a call was made to Simon 'Speedy' Khoury, a family friend and whose undertaker business had been burying loved ones in Melbourne's northern suburbs with a special touch for years.
Speedy, a long-time associate of convicted drug trafficker Tony Mokbel, also helped make the arrangements to lay to rest underworld players such as the Notorious Crime Family lieutenant Meshilin Marrogi, sister of George Marrogi, and Tony's brother Milad Mokbel. (Men wearing the funeral business' logo would turn up to support Tony and shake his hand at his bail hearing earlier this year.)
The problem was put to Speedy, and his solution would change the entire perception of Abdulrahim's funeral.
Soon after, a hearse pulled into the parking lot of the Islamic centre, holding a shiny golden coffin in the back.
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The press pack was confused. This was the second hearse and the second coffin to arrive within an hour.
An honour guard of Abdulrahim's associates gathered at the hearse, lifting the (empty) gold coffin and taking it into the centre.
The media had no idea it was all for show.
Inside, Abdulrahim's 90-kilogram body was gently transferred from the wooden to the flash casket.
Only a handful of people knew that day that Abdulrahim arrived in a plain box but went out in a golden vessel.
The funeral home did not respond to a request for comment.
Not since gangland boss Carl Williams was buried in a $30,000 14-carat gold plated casket in 2010 has anyone in the underworld been so ostentatious in death.
There were scenes of high emotion as the coffin, draped in a green banner, was carried to the hearse and then driven to Northern Memorial Park where Abdulrahim's body was lifted out and placed reverently in the ground.
That was six months ago this week.
Abdulrahim's murder is yet to be solved. The four-man hit team, and the overseas gangland bosses thought to have ordered his murder, have never been arrested or charged.
The killing has been widely interpreted in the underworld as a message with a lethal lesson – Kaz Hamad and his crew will never forget and never forgive.
The Punisher's final resting place has become a gathering spot for his family and associates, with his grave adorned with fresh flowers, boxing memorabilia and cans of energy drink. The plot is emblazoned with the name 'Suna', and has a large photograph of him.
But unlike some of their other sworn enemies, Abdulrahim has at least been left to rest in peace where he was laid.
What happened to the golden casket that made such a fleeting appearance remains a mystery.