Prosecutors in Naples have been carrying out an investigation into a web of corruption in funeral homes with hospital workers tipping off funeral firms about recent deaths.
The BBC reports Operation Dear Departed began three years ago. Doctors, nurses and hospital employees were among those investigated.
Funeral home employees were revealed to have roamed the corridors of hospitals wearing white coasts and talking to bereaved relatives, who thought they were getting impartial advice at a time when they were extremely vulnerable.
But they ended up paying inflated prices to a cartel.
