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An Indian man in the eastern part of India has exhumed his late sister’s remains to prove her death and gain access to the savings in her account.
The incident happened on Monday after he stunned bank officials and customers in the Malipasi area of Keonjhar district in Odisha, according to a report by The Hindu.
The man, identified as Jeetu Munda of Dianali village, had met with the Maliposi branch of the Odisha Grameen Bank in the Patana block to withdraw about Rs 20,000 from the account of his elder sister, Kalara Munda, who died on January 26. The bank officials requested certain documentation before processing the claim.
In a shocking response, Munda dug up his sister’s skeleton and brought it to the bank as proof of her death, scaring those present. With no formal education and little understanding of banking processes, Munda said repeated visits to the bank yielded no result.
“I told them she had died, but they did not listen. They kept saying, bring the account holder to withdraw the money. Out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought her skeleton as proof that she is no more,” he said.
The incident prompted officers from the Patana police division to respond after being alerted. A police official, Kiran Prasad Sahu, said the situation uncovered a communication gap between the bank and its customers.
“Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not understand what a legal heir or nominee means. The bank officials failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from a deceased person’s account,” Sahu said.
Following police involvement, the bank officials assured Munda that the process for accessing the funds would be carried out in accordance with due procedures. Munda’s sisters’ remains were returned and reburied at the gravesite in the presence of police personnel.
Reports revealed that the situation was further complicated because the account’s nominee had also died, leaving Munda as the sole surviving claimant. According to local official Manas Dandpat, authorities were only recently alerted to the situation.
