An Indian man resorted to exhuming his dead sister’s remains and carrying her skeleton to a local bank branch after staff repeatedly refused to process a withdrawal without proof of her death, according to reports.
Jeetu Munda, 50, allegedly dug up the remains of his elder sister, Kalra Munda, on Monday and transported them through the streets of the Keonjhar district of Odisha — roughly 180 miles west of Kolkata — before depositing them outside the entrance of a branch of the Odisha Grameen Bank. Video footage of the incident, reported by English-language outlet Lokmat Times, shows a shirtless and barefoot Munda carrying the skeletal remains, wrapped in a shawl, in broad daylight.
Kalra Munda had died in January at the age of 56, leaving approximately 20,000 rupees — around $211 — in her bank account. Her brother had made repeated visits to the bank in an effort to access the funds, but said he was turned away each time.
“I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw the money deposited in her name,” Munda told reporters. “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.”
Local police inspector Kiran Prasad Sahu, speaking to news agency PTI, said the episode exposed a significant failure in communication between the bank and a vulnerable customer. “Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is,” Sahu said. “The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person’s account.”
Bank officials maintain that their staff acted correctly throughout. The Odisha Grameen Bank’s chairman described the incident as “deeply unfortunate,” but said employees had followed established procedure, asking Munda to produce valid documentation — including a death certificate and legal heir certification. Officials also noted that Munda had given inconsistent accounts of his sister’s condition, initially suggesting she was unwell before later stating she had passed away.
Authorities subsequently intervened to help Munda complete the withdrawal through the correct legal channels. His sister’s remains were reburied under police supervision.
