A man in India brought the remains of his dead sister to a bank after officials allegedly refused to let him withdraw money from her account without proof of death. Jitu Munda, 52, from Odisha, said he exhumed his sister’s remains after repeated requests for a death certificate and said the bank manager would not listen. [1]
Munda said the argument began after his sister, Kalara, died several months earlier, leaving 19,300 rupees, or about £150, in her bank account. He said he kept asking for access to the money and was met with demands for paperwork. In a video that spread quickly across India, he carried the remains into the bank in Keonjhar, Odisha, prompting shock and anger over official red tape, especially among marginalised tribal communities. [1]
Munda said: "When the bank manager refused to listen and kept asking for proof, I got frustrated. I brought the skeleton to show that she had died." The bank said it had only asked for legally required documents and denied asking for the deceased to appear in person. Indian Overseas Bank said its aim was to protect the interest of the poor tribal woman’s money in the account. [1]
Officials later confirmed that the death certificate had been issued and the money had been handed to the relatives. An Odisha state minister said the case was under investigation. [1]
