
A tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Monday brought the skeleton of his dead sister to a bank to withdraw the money deposited in her name, police said. The incident happened at the Odisha Grameen Bank branch in Maliposi, which is situated in the Patana block of the Keonjhar district. Jeetu Munda (50) of Dianali village was recognised as the man. He wanted to take out Rs 20,000 from the bank account of his older sister, Kalra Munda (56), who passed away due to sickness two months ago. She sold her livestock to raise the money.
Munda had gone to the bank a few days prior to take the money out because she had no other legal successor. But in order to complete the withdrawal, bank representatives requested that he provide a death certificate and other required paperwork.
Nevertheless, Munda dug up his sister's skeleton remains from her grave since he could not provide the necessary structure.
"I have run to the bank several times, 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," an illiterate Jeetu Munda told reporters.
After receiving information, Inspector in charge (IIC) Kiran Prasad Sahu of the Patana Police Station arrived at the bank and declared, "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He is unaware of the nominee or legal heir. The bank employees have not been able to explain to him how to take money out of the deceased person's account."
However, after the incident, the police assured Jeetu Munda that they would facilitate the withdrawal of money from the bank account of his dead sister. Later, the skeleton was again buried at the graveyard in the presence of the police.
The nominee in Kalra Munda’s account had also died. So Jeetu Munda was the only claimant for the money. The local administration has now directed the bank officials to make arrangements and ensure that Jeetu Munda gets the money as soon as possible.
As per banking rules in India, if a bank account has a nominee, the bank can give the money to that nominee easily. The nominee just needs to submit a claim form, the account holder’s death certificate, and their own ID proof. In such cases, no court papers or legal certificates are required.
Stay updated with the Breaking News Today and Latest News from across India and around the world. Get real-time updates, in-depth analysis, and comprehensive coverage of India News, World News, Indian Defence News, Kerala News, and Karnataka News. From politics to current affairs, follow every major story as it unfolds. Get real-time updates from IMD on major cities weather forecasts, including Rain alerts, Cyclone warnings, and temperature trends. Download the Asianet News Official App from the Android Play Store and iPhone App Store for accurate and timely news updates anytime, anywhere.