The sister had reported Ramasamy Muthaloo, 64, dead to the registrar of births and deaths instead of naming his brother Maniam.

Maniam, 56, had died from heart complications on Dec 3, 2018, and the error took place while reporting his death.

Penang councillor P David Marshel, who visited Ramasamy at his home at Hutan Melintang, Perak, today, said the misreporting took place when the sister, an illiterate, wrote his name instead of Maniam’s.

He said the error was rectified after a police report was lodged and a death certificate obtained in Maniam’s name.

However, Ramasamy ran into a problem when he went to renew his car road tax. An officer told him that he had been recorded as dead in the National Registration Department (JPN) database and hence there was no way he could renew the document.

David said two further police reports made to fix his “dead” status in JPN fell on deaf ears.

He said Ramasamy was cut off from all government aid, including one he received from the social welfare department (JKM) for RM300.

Ramasamy has been unable to work legally as a contractor, forcing him to take on a job at a metal scrapyard nearby.

His wife Sujatha Simhachalam, 50, pleaded with the authorities to quickly reinstate his status, as he has been denied any treatment in government clinics or hospitals now.

She said she receives RM300 from JKM for her walking disability and her husband makes about RM30 a day at the scrapyard.

David urged Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is Bagan Datuk MP, to help Ramasamy since he lived in his constituency.