Odisha man exhumes dead sister's body, takes it to bank to withdraw money after they asked him to 'bring account holder'

In a shocking incident, an elderly Odisha man from Keonjhar district exhumed his sister’s remains from her grave and carried them to the bank for proof after they denied his repeated attempts to withdraw money from her account.

The man, identified as Jitu Munda, 59, from Dianali village, reached a local bank on Monday, carrying his sister's remains and placed them outside the premises, triggering panic among the staff.

Source says that Jitu had been visiting the bank for several days to try and withdraw a total of Rs 19,300 deposited in his older sister Kalara Munda’s savings account.

Kalara died around two months ago on January 26 at the age of 62. Despite him infomaing the bank officials of her death, his requests were turned down multiple times. The staff insisted that the account holder had to be physically present for the completion of formal procedures.

Kalara was not married and had no heirs. She had previously lost her husband and her only child. Jitu was her only surviving relative.

"I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name. 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 the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," Munda told reporters. He reportedly walked with the body for around three kilometres.

Patna Police Station inspector-in-charge IIC Kiran Prassad Sahu said the the bank failed to explain the process for withdrawing the money to Jitu. "Jitu 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," he said.

The Indian Overseas Bank have now issued a clarification on the incident which occurred at the Regional Rural Bank, Odisha Grameen Bank at its Malliposi branch in Patna block. “An individual, Mr Jitu Munda, visited the branch for the first time, requesting withdrawal from an account held in his sister’s name, Ms. Kalara Munda. As per banking regulations, third-party withdrawals are not permitted without proper authorization. Upon being informed, he stated that the account holder was deceased. Our Branch Manager clearly explained that in the event of death, settlement can only be processed upon submission of valid documents, including a death certificate,” the statement read.

The bank also stated Jitu was inebriated when he went to the bank with the body. “The incident appears to have arisen due to a lack of awareness of the claim settlement process and the individual’s unwillingness to accept the procedures explained by the Branch Manager. Bank’s intention was to protect the interest of the poor tribal women monies in the account. There is no case of any harassment. The bank is also in continuous coordination with local authorities for the issuance of the death certificate," the statement continued.

Upon spotting Jitu with the body, the bank manager alerted the police.

A team of officers led by IIC of Patna police, led by Sahu, reached the spot and persuaded Jitu to take back the body to the village and rebury it under police supervision. He agreed after he was reassured that the necessary documents required to withdraw the money would be obtained.

“This is an unfortunate incident. The bank authorities should have properly explained the procedure to him. Being from a tribal background, he may not have understood the formalities. Such situations must be handled more sensitively,” said Subrat Mohanty, a resident.