Indian man takes sister’s exhumed body to bank for withdrawal

The flag of India flies at Adani Green Energy Ltd. renewable energy park in Khavda, Gujarat, India, on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Photographer: Sumit Dayal

An Indian man dug up his sister’s body and carried it to a bank branch to prove she was dead after being refused access to her account without a death certificate, the lender has said.

Jitu Munda, from a constitutionally recognized tribal community in the eastern state of Odisha, went to an Indian Overseas Bank branch on Monday to withdraw money from his deceased sister’s account.

But bank staff told him that “withdrawals by a third party are not permitted without proper authorization,” the lender said Tuesday.

Angered by being turned away because he did not have her death certificate, Munda returned to the branch carrying the “human remains” of his sister, who had been buried days earlier, the bank said.

Television networks broadcast footage of Munda carrying what appeared to be a corpse partially wrapped in plastic, with skeletal legs visible and slung over his shoulder.

“This created a highly distressing situation at the premises,” the bank said.

It added that the incident stemmed from a “lack of awareness”, and the individual’s unwillingness to follow procedures.

“The claim will be settled on priority, once the death certificate is submitted,” it added.

Registration of births and deaths is mandatory in India. But gaps in documentation persist, particularly in rural areas, leaving many families without formal certificates.