Man in India carries his dead sister’s remains to bank to withdraw money from her account

Man digs up his dead sister’s remains & carries them to bank to claim S$270 in her account

A man in Odisha, India, carried his dead sister’s skeletal remains to a bank to withdraw INR20,000 (S$270) from her account.

The man, identified as Jeetu Munda, 50, hails from Dianali village in Keonjhar district, had been denied permission to retrieve the money without the account holder or legal documents.

Attempted to withdraw S$270 as sole surviving relative

He had been trying to withdraw the remaining balance in the bank account of his 56-year-old sister, Kakra Munda, at the Maliposi branch of Odisha Gramya Bank.

Kakra passed away on Monday (26 Jan) after an illness. She had earned the money through the sale of her cattle.

Reportedly, her husband and only child had died earlier, leaving Jeetu as her sole surviving relative.

Officials requested man to provide documents

When Jeetu first approached the bank to withdraw the money, officials told him they were unable to go through with the transaction.

The bank needed either the account holder to be present or a death certificate to be produced.

Being an illiterate tribal man with no education, Jeetu had no death certificate or succession papers.

He returned home helpless, unable to navigate the complex bureaucratic process.

According to Jeetu, bank staff repeatedly told him to bring the account holder even after he explained that his sister had died.

Carried his sister’s remains, walked 3km to bank

On 27 April, Jeetu went to the village cremation ground, dug up his sister’s skeletal remains, wrapped the bones in cloth, and walked three kilometres to the bank.

Once he arrived, the sight left locals stunned. Villagers accused the bank of extreme insensitivity.

Locals pointed out that bank officials could have simply verified the death with the village Sarpanch or conducted a field visit, but paperwork had won out over compassion.

Police arrived to handle situation

Police arrived at the scene after being alerted and calmed Jeetu down before taking charge of the situation.

He was assured that his case would be handled on humanitarian grounds.

Additionally, authorities noted that they would facilitate the withdrawal of the money.

His sister’s skeleton was subsequently reburied at the graveyard in the presence of officers.

Bank directed to make arrangements to give money to him

Complicating matters further, bank sources revealed that the nominee listed in Kakra Munda’s account had also passed away, making Jeetu the sole claimant to the funds.

Local Block Development Officer (BDO) Manas Dandpat admitted he had been unaware of the situation until the incident unfolded.

“Today only, I came to know about it. We will see what can be done to resolve the issue,” he said.

The local administration has since directed bank officers to make arrangements to ensure that Jeetu, the only legal claimant under the rules, receives his money as soon as possible.

Also read: Female workers in India told to send ‘proof’ that they are on their period to be granted leave

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Featured image adapted from NDTV.