KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — Facing mounting debts, an Indonesian man resorted to faking his own death to avoid collectors that were hot on his heels.

His ruse, however, was uncovered when police investigated the 40-year-old from Bogor, West Java, who miraculously ‘revived’.

Police spokesman Tatang Hidayat said the man had bought an empty coffin at Radio Dalam, South Jakarta.

Together with the coffin, the man and his wife then travelled from South Jakarta to Rancabungur in Bogor in an ambulance, Kompas reported.

During the journey, the ambulance made a pit stop at Cibubur, a village in East Jakarta and the man laid inside the coffin.

A video clip of the man in the coffin had been shared on social media which quickly went viral, Coconuts Jakarta reported.

Investigations by police found the man was not declared dead by any hospital.

"He faked his own death in an attempt to escape from debt collectors that were looking for him,” said Tatang.

The ambulance driver also told police that he heard the wife complaining about the family’s debt and the collectors were coming.

Under Indonesian law, deliberately misleading authorities is a crime punishable by up to one year in prison.