An Indian villager allegedly dug up his sister’s remains and carried them to a local bank in Odisha after staff asked him to provide valid proof of her death before allowing access to money in her account, according to a media report.
The incident involved 50-year-old Jeetu Munda, who reportedly exhumed the remains of his elder sister, Kalra Munda, on Monday in Keonjhar district, Odisha. Kalra Munda died in January at the age of 56. Her brother had been trying to withdraw about 20,000 rupees, roughly $211, from her account at a branch of Odisha Grameen Bank.
A disturbing video from the area showed Munda, shirtless and shoeless, walking in broad daylight while carrying skeletal remains wrapped in a shawl. He later placed them outside the entrance of the bank branch in Keonjhar district, located about 180 miles west of Kolkata.
Munda said he took the extreme step after failing to convince bank officials his sister had died.
“Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug up the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death,” he added.
Authorities said Munda did not understand the formal process required to be recognized as a legal heir or nominee before withdrawing money from a deceased person’s account.
“Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person’s account,” local police inspector Kiran Prasad Sahu told news agency PTI.
The chairman of Odisha Grameen Bank called the incident “deeply unfortunate,” while maintaining employees followed proper procedure. Bank officials said Munda had given inconsistent information, first saying his sister was unwell and later saying she had died.
Officials said staff told him he needed valid documents, including a death certificate and legal heir certification.
“Despite being counselled, he did not agree and later returned with what was claimed to be his sister’s remains.
The situation created panic among bank staff and customers, following which local police were informed.
Authorities later helped Munda complete the withdrawal process through proper legal channels. His sister’s remains were reburied under police supervision.
