By Cameron Houston, Marta Pascual Juanola, Lachlan Abbott and Hannah Hammoud
Slain underworld figure Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim was farewelled in a golden casket, while his nickname Suna was spelt out in white chrysanthemums and dahlias.
The funeral procession from Epping to Glenroy on Thursday was led by a formation of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, ahead of a cavalcade of luxury vehicles.
Mourners carry the casket of slain underworld figure Sam Abdulrahim at the Alawi Islamic Association in Epping on Thursday.Credit: Justin McManus
It was an extravagant and eye-catching commemoration for a man who had spent the past five years living in the shadows because of a $1 million bounty on his head.
The former boxer and gangster was laid to rest just after 1pm on Thursday at the Northern Memorial Park in Glenroy – not far from where he was shot multiple times in 2022 while in a funeral procession for a cousin.
The 32-year-old had narrowly averted, or miraculously survived, more than a dozen attempts on his life, until his extraordinary run of luck ended abruptly in Preston on Tuesday morning.
Abdulrahim’s parents and siblings were supported by more than 200 mourners during a prayer ceremony on Thursday morning at the Alawi Islamic Association of Victoria Centre in Epping.
His father, Farouk Abdulrahim, was comforted by several other men as he broke down outside the community centre before the coffin was carried out.
Several women, including Abdulrahim’s three sisters, wept as pallbearers placed the coffin into a hearse.
Tears also streamed down his girlfriend’s face as she was comforted by Abdulrahim’s family. She narrowly escaped injury during the shooting on Tuesday and had tried to render first aid.
Under Islamic custom, close relatives spent time with Abdulrahim’s body early on Thursday before it was moved to a public space inside the centre for mourners to pray.
Six men carried a golden casket into the funeral for Sam Abdulrahim.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola
Muay Thai kickboxing trainer and gym owner Mark Castagnini and popular wedding drummer Edmond Dantes were among the mourners in attendance.
Dozens of police patrolled surrounding streets, but there was no visible police presence outside the venue.
A procession along the Western Ring Road ended at Glenroy’s Northern Memorial Park just after midday, when mourners chanted as pallbearers carried the casket, covered in a green shroud.
Emblazoned across the shroud was a passage from the Koran that translates to: “Every being on earth is bound to perish.”
Several former members of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang, including former sergeant-at-arms Mark Balsillie, were at the cemetery and paid their respects to Abdulrahim’s father, who remained seated on a bench.
Abdulrahim had been Melbourne’s most-hunted underworld figure and had lived under the shadow of death threats for years.
He was ambushed by his killers in the car park of the Quest serviced apartments in High Street, Preston, just after 10.30am on Tuesday.
Police believe the killers fled in a white Porsche Macan SUV, which was later found ablaze less than two kilometres away in the neighbouring suburb of Reservoir. On Wednesday, police revealed they had found a suspected second getaway car in Westmeadows.
On Thursday, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas, head of the homicide squad, said police would investigate if a mobile speed camera near where the second car was dumped captured anything, but he was unsure if it would prove useful.
Thomas said there was still nothing to suggest there would be retaliation after the underworld hit.
“I respect the fact that the funeral is today, but to Sam’s family, friends and associates, I ask that they work with us and provide us with any information they have so that we can identify those responsible,” he said.
Abdulrahim’s road to becoming a marked man started in 2016, when he backed the wrong side as conflicts between rival crews erupted into regular shootings.
He was shot eight times in 2022 and then avoided a 17-bullet hail of gunfire in 2024. He had recently gone “underground” to escape a $1 million murder contract on his head.
In 2016 rising underworld player Kazem Hamad’s friend Kadir “KD” Ors was murdered in Campbellfield. Rival drug trafficker George Marrogi was convicted of the crime. Some believed Abdulrahim helped lure Ors to the scene, but Abdulrahim always denied it.
Hamad started waging a campaign against Abdulrahim, who soon lost protection from the Mongols as he brought too much heat.
Friends had warned Abdulrahim in the lead-up to his death to stay away from Melbourne, but he had returned to Australia after a stint overseas.
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