A man in India’s Odisha state shocked onlookers after carrying his dead sister’s skeletal remains to a bank branch, claiming he had been unable to access her savings without proof she had died.
Jitu Munda, 52, said he became desperate after repeated visits to the bank failed to release the funds left behind by his sister, Kalara, who died earlier this year. Viral footage showed him arriving outside the branch with bones wrapped in a sack, sparking widespread backlash across India.
Munda’s sister reportedly died earlier this year and had 19,300 Indian rupees (around NZ$400) in her bank account.
Munda alleged bank staff repeatedly demanded documentation he could not provide. However, the bank rejected claims employees requested physical proof of death, insisting staff had only asked for standard legal documents required when an account holder dies without naming a nominee.
The incident prompted criticism of India’s banking bureaucracy and the difficulties faced by rural families navigating official processes. Authorities have launched an investigation into the branch’s handling of the matter.
Following public outrage, local officials issued the required death and heirship paperwork, allowing the woman’s savings to be released to her family.
WARNING: Disturbing video.
He was told to “bring the account holder.” So he did.
Jitu Munda exhumed his sister’s skeleton and carried it to an Odisha Rural Bank to withdraw her last ₹19,300.
A chilling story of poverty and red tape.#OdishaNews #Keonjhar #Shocking #FinancialInclusion#Odisha… pic.twitter.com/izRLa3dnCh
— MdShakeel(PingTV) (@PingtvIndia) April 28, 2026
