Man Digs Up Sister’s Remains, Carries Them to Bank in Keonjhar to Claim Money

Bhubaneswar: In a shocking incident from Odisha’s Keonjhar district, a man allegedly exhumed his deceased sister’s skeletal remains and carried them to a bank in an attempt to withdraw money from her account.

The incident occurred on Monday in the Patna area of Keonjhar district.

According to reports, Jitu Munda of Dianali village lost his elder sister nearly two months ago after she succumbed to an illness. Before her death, she had deposited around Rs 19,000 in her account at a local branch of Odisha Gramya Bank, reportedly earned from the sale of her cattle.

With no other legal heir, Munda had approached the bank a few days ago seeking to withdraw the amount. However, bank officials asked him to produce a death certificate and other required documents to process the withdrawal.

In a desperate and unusual act, Munda allegedly exhumed his sister’s skeletal remains from the burial site and carried them on his shoulder for nearly 3 km to the bank as proof of her death. He then staged a sit-in outside the bank, placing the remains there for several hours while demanding immediate access to the funds.

On being alerted by bank staff, local police reached the spot and persuaded Munda to vacate the premises. Authorities later made arrangements for the reburial of the skeletal remains.

The incident has drawn attention to the lack of awareness and procedural difficulties faced by people in rural areas regarding documentation and access to financial services.