Odisha man brings sister’s remains to bank believing presence needed to withdraw money

Keonjhar- In a startling incident from Odisha, a man exhumed his deceased sister’s remains and carried them to a bank, believing her physical presence was required to withdraw money from her account, police said.

The incident occurred at a branch of Odisha Grameen Bank in Mallipasi village, where 42-year-old Jeetu Munda arrived with the skeletal remains of his sister on Monday afternoon.

According to police, Jeetu’s sister had passed away around two months ago and had been buried near their home in Dianali village. She had maintained a savings account at the bank, where she regularly deposited money.

Officials said Jeetu had earlier visited the bank multiple times with her passbook to withdraw funds but did not inform staff about her death. During one of his visits, he was advised to produce documents proving he was the legal heir to access the money.

However, misunderstanding the requirement, Jeetu reportedly believed that his sister needed to be physically present for the withdrawal process. Acting on this assumption, he exhumed her remains, placed them in a sack, and brought them to the bank.

Bank staff, shocked by the situation, immediately alerted police. A team led by Kiran Prasad Sahu reached the spot and convinced the man to take the remains back.

Police officials said they explained the legal process to Jeetu and assured him that he could access the funds by submitting proper documentation as a legal heir.

Following the intervention, Jeetu returned to his village and reburied his sister’s remains.

Authorities said no case has been registered, and efforts are being made to assist the family in completing the required formalities.